DVD’s I Bought This Week: September 30th
Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 30, 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.
Iron Man
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Rated: Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.
Synopsis: Money + Booze = Super Hero
Why Buy It?: To paraphrase my little brother, “This was like the best, superhero movie ever. It was like funny, and like had some awesome effects.” I have to agree. It was like one of the best superhero movies ever made. Favreau really took a character that most people knew nothing of, and made him cool, lovable and marketable. This was one of my most eagerly awaited DVD releases of the year. This is one of those movies, and soon enough The Dark Knight as well, that will make people think about investing in a VHS player…or maybe even a Blu-Ray player.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Director: Chris Bell
Rated: Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving drugs, language, some sexual content and violent images.
Synopsis: Steroids, like chicken soup for the soul.
Why Buy It?: This was one of those documentaries that I couldn’t stay away from. It looked provocative and informative, and it didn’t disappoint. The film takes a hard look at steroids, and the society that gave them a home. Between exposing some of the truths behind steroids, Bell also tackles some of the tougher issues like cheating vs. fairness and how gross girls look after steroid use.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand.
Rated: Rated R for sexual content, language and some graphic nudity.
Synopsis: Boy loses girl, gets new girl, shows penis twice.
Why Buy It?: This is one of my favorite comedies of the year. Another Apatow production, this one doesn’t disappoint even though it doesn’t contain the usual headliners. Not many people thought that Jason Segel could carry a full feature on his own, but I think he silenced his critics.
Beaufort
Director: Joseph Cedar
Synopsis: A humanistic look at war.
Why Rent It?: I really hadn’t heard much about this one until the Academy Awards. I have heard some really good things, and would love to check it out. I mean an Oscar nomination isn’t like a small deal. Maybe this one is a bit too intense of a film for me to buy, I usually purchase the fun ones.
Taxi to the Dark Side
Director: Alex Gibney
Rated: Rated R for disturbing images, and content involving torture and graphic nudity.
Synopsis: A look at war torture practices.
Why Rent It?: Here is another war film, this time in the form of a documentary. Now this film however, won an academy award for best documentary. I heard that this is a pretty sad and disturbing story. Worth checking out, but not worth buying in my book. This one is more informative than entertaining.
The Mindscape of Alan Moore
Director: Dez Vylenz
Synopsis: Alan Moore is a comics guru, and apparently a magician.
Why Rent It?: Let me start by pointing out that I love most of Alan Moore’s work. I knew he was a strange guy in the minds of many people. I did not know exactly how spiritual and philosophical he was. If you are interested in exploring the mindscape of Alan Moore, this one works. However, if you just discovered Watchmen for the first time…Moore might creep you the hell out.
Pulse 2: Afterlife
Director: Joel Soisson
Rated: Rated R for violence, disturbing images, some sexuality, nudity and language.
Synopsis: Remember that bad movie called Pulse from a few years ago. This one is like that times two.
Why Avoid It?: Avoid it because this one makes the first movie look like an Oscar contender. It stars no one that I have ever heard of, went straight to DVD and is a sequel to an unsuccessful film. Worth seeing? No. Worth avoiding? Definitely.
Chapter 27
Director: J.P. Schaefer
Cast: Jared Leto, Lindsay Lohan.
Rated: Rated R for language and some sexual content.
Synopsis: Based on a true story about some guy killing a musician.
Why Avoid It?: While Jared Leto completely transformed himself for the film, it was a contribution towards a burning, sinking boat. Lindsay Lohan is a steaming pile of scrap metal and debris from, you guessed it, a trainwreck. No thank you.
Juiced: Starring O.J. Simpson (Platinum Collector’s Edition)
Cast: O.J. Simpson
Synopsis: A great way to become depressed.
Why Avoid It?: This is one of those things that make me question the state of humanity. If I read this correctly, Orenthal James Simpson is running around in disguises trying to Punk people. That would personally scare the crap out of me. This really depresses me, and now I need to watch Iron Man.
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