It’s quite all right to be skeptical of Michel Gondry’s take on the classic pulp hero “The Green Hornet” (Sony Pictures, $24.99/DVD, $32.99/Blu-ray SRP, PG-13). I’ll admit that I was taken aback by the odd casting of Seth Rogan as the titular crime-fighter. The trailers for the film didn’t do much to excite me either, highlighting the comedy instead of the action. But I’m quick to admit that first impressions were definitely wrong this time, as “The Green Hornet” proved to be an entertaining and better-than-expected good time. The film tells the story of millionaire-playboy Britt Reid as he teams up with his late dad’s assistant Kato (Jay Chou) to become a masked crime fighting team, taking on “Inglorious Basterds” star Christophe Waltz as a Russian mobster who is uniting the criminal families of Los Angeles under his command. Cameron Diaz appears as the love interest and James Franco pops up in a funny, uncredited cameo. Special features on the DVD include filmmaker’s commentary, a gag reel, a featurette on the writing of the film and a look at the real star of the show, the Black Beauty. Blu-ray bonuses include a PS3 theme, Jay Chou’s auditon reel, 3D animated storyboards, deleted scenes and the following featurettes: Double Barrel, The Stunt Family Armstrong, Finding Kato, The Art of Destruction and a conversation with director Michel Gondry.
Ron Howard returns to comedy with his directorial effort “The Dilemma” (Universal Pictures, $23.99/DVD, $31.99/Blu-ray SRP, PG-13), a hilarious “what would you do?” tale that finds Ronny (Vince Vaughn) doing some amateur investigating when he discovers his best friend Nick’s (the always funny Kevin James) wife with another man. His dilemma is figuring out when and how to tell Nick what he saw, which leads to some genuinely funny situations. As with most of Ron Howard’s films, the supporting cast is top notch. “The Dilemma” features Winona Ryder as Nick’s wife, Geneva, Channing Tatum as her partner-in-crime, Jennifer Connelly as Ronny’s girlfriend, and a hilarious performance from Queen Latifah. Special features include an alternate ending, deleted scenes, a gag reel and a “This is the Dilemma” featurette. The Blu-ray disc also includes seven bonus deleted scenes and two additional featurettes.
“My Own Love Song” (Inception Media Group, $25.99/DVD, $32.99/Blu-ray SRP, Not Rated) is your typical road-trip-to-redemption story that just so happens to feature not-so-typical lead characters. The film tells the story of wheelchair-bound singer Jane (Renee Zellweger) and her mentally unstable best friend (Forest Whitaker) as they embark on a road trip to New Orleans. The film is most notable for its soundtrack, which contains music written by Bob Dylan. Also starring Nick Nolte and Madeline Zima, “My Own Love Song” is an impressive and heartfelt film that will inspire you while tugging at your heartstrings. No bonus features have been announced for the BluRay or DVD.
The romantic drama “Waiting for Forever” (20th Century Fox, $23.99/DVD, $31.99/Blu-ray SRP, PG-13) tells the romantic tale of Will (Tom Sturridge) and Emma (Rachel Bilson), former childhood sweethearts who reconnect after being apart for 16 years. Will has become a free-spirited street performer who wears his heart on his sleeve, while Emma has worked toward becoming a successful actress. The question becomes, will they reunite or will their complicated pasts and unsure futures put a damper on things? You probably already know the answer to that. But it’s the journey to that conclusion that makes this Dove family approved film worth watching. No special features announced. The film also stars Richard Jenkins, Blythe Danner, Nikki Blonsky and Jaime King.
I love ninjas and vampires. I did not love “Ninjas vs. Vampires” (Vicious Circle Films, Breaking Glass Pictures, $23.99/DVD only SRP, Not Rated). This is an apparent sequel to “Ninjas vs. Zombies” (don’t worry, I haven’t heard of that one either) that finds our heroic main character Aaron (Jay Saunders) enlisting the aid of a mysterious group of ninjas to help him save the girl of his dreams from a gang of bloodsuckers. It’s too silly for its own good and, even worse, it’s boring. While it’s obvious there wasn’t much of a budget to work with and the filmmakers should be commended for making the most of the little they had, there just isn’t anything here worth seeing. Special features will include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and trailers.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment