THE KEEPER -- DVD review by porfle

You have to hand it to Steven Seagal--he's managed to maintain a fairly popular action-hero persona that barely requires him to either move or speak intelligibly. These days, his movies don't even have to be very good at all as long as he's in them. His latest, THE KEEPER (2009), dog-paddles in the DTV end of the pool with the rest of his recent output, neither sinking all the way to the bottom nor demonstrating any fancy strokes to speak of.

The first ten minutes are a mini-movie in which Steven, as L.A. cop Roland Sallinger, is shot by his two-timing partner during a drug bust. He survives, then manages to kill the rat from his hospital bed when he comes to finish the job. Forced to retire due to his injuries, Roland then accepts an offer from his old friend Connor Wells, an ex-cop who's now a Texas oil millionaire, to play bodyguard for his daughter Nikita. She's in danger because a rival millionaire named Jason Cross wants to kidnap her in order to force Wells to sign over some land on which uranium has been discovered. Complicating things is the fact that Nikita's weaselly boyfriend Mason, a two-bit boxer, is in league with Cross.

I'm sure you'd like for me to skip the preliminaries and get to the action scenes, because we don't watch Steven Seagal movies for the acting and dialogue, right? Well, he hasn't been in town for five minutes before he sees a young Mexican woman in distress and has his limo driver pull over so he can whoop a few bad-guy butts. As most of us are aware by now, his fighting style now consists mainly of standing in one spot while flailing his arms wildly, disarming his opponents and bending their arms the wrong way until the bones crack.

Occasionally, he'll let loose with a low kick--his days of planting a flying foot in somebody's face are long past. And even with this limited mobility, a stand-in is often used for the shots in which his character is required to move with some semblance of agility. These fight scenes consist of many short shots and rapid-fire editing to give the illusion that our hero is a lightning-fast flurry of movement.

That said, it's still Steven Seagal, and somehow that's enough. I like the way he strolls into a heated situation and makes the bad guys suffer for being stupid enough to take him on. I'd love to be able to do that myself. And he's so damn sure of himself, mixing it up with multiple opponents with a supreme confidence that's bracing. It's especially fun when he screws around with them a little first, pretending to be intimidated, before giving them that patented Steven Seagal scowl and laying into them. And on the plus side, he seems to have shed some weight since the last time I saw him, so he no longer resembles a giant burrito or appears to be wearing his car instead of just driving it.

Later, there's a kidnapping attempt involving a car chase, and a couple of minor shoot-em-ups on the streets. A few more quick hand-to-hand battles lead up to the final confrontation between Steve and the kidnappers, with Nikita's life in the balance. It's all passable stuff, but none of it is in any way memorable or outstanding. The big guy does put his hand through somebody's throat at one point, which fulfills the requirement that he do something really overtly violent at least once per movie to whatever bad guy wins the honor of deserving it.

Technically, THE KEEPER is your basic meat-and-potatoes job with some irritating stylistic touches thrown in. There's the speed-up-slow-down effect, the appeal of which I never understood, mixed with quick camera moves that make a whooshing noise. Even a brief pan of some trophies Steve has amassed during his cop career does the speed-up-slow-down thing and makes a whooshing noise. Oh yeah, and some of the transitions are accompanied by a flashing white light that also makes a whooshing noise. I guess it's all meant to make the movie look more hip and contemporary, but that kind of stuff just has DTV written all over it. Seagal's 2007 film URBAN JUSTICE eschewed all of that crap for a leaner and more old-school, Don Siegel-type visual style and is all the better for it. To his credit, though, director Keoni Waxman spares us the usual Shaky-Cam overload.

As for the cast, most are capable performers. Steph DuVall as Wells and Luce Rains as Cross are a couple of old pros who know their stuff (although DuVall slips up and calls Seagal's character "Ballinger" at one point), while Arron Shiver does a good job as the slimeball Mason. As Nikita, Liezl Carstens handles the screaming and being scared parts well. When paired with Seagal for a dialogue scene, however, it's as though they're competing in a slow race to see who can underplay the other, and they may have you wondering which one will simply keel over unconscious first.

Seagal, as usual, emotes as though his meds just kicked in and his lines are being fed to him through an earpiece. This time around, he doesn't have any good lines such as "I'm gunna kill the muhfuh that killed mah son", nor the kind of vengeance-driven motivation that a dead wife or family member can provide, both of which are missed. And also unlike URBAN JUSTICE, which had a fadeout that was just cool as hell, this movie just ends when it runs out of stuff to do.

The DVD from 20-Century Fox is in 1.78:1 widescreen with English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish Dolby Surround, subtitled in English and Spanish. There are no extras.

With THE KEEPER, you get pretty much what you might expect by now--standard latter-day Seagal with just enough of the old magic to keep it from being totally dispensible, yet little to make it of any interest to anyone but his most loyal fans. If you're among that number, check it out. Otherwise, why bother?

Buy it at Amazon.com

EDGE OF DARKNESS: THE COMPLETE SERIES -- DVD review by porfle

A resounding critical and popular success upon its BBC debut in 1985, the six-part serial EDGE OF DARKNESS is an intelligent thriller that will bore those looking for superficial sensation while offering more patient viewers a richly rewarding experience.

Yorkshire detective and widower Ronald Craven (Ben Peck) has just arrived home one rainy night with his political activist daughter Emma (Joanne Whalley, WILLOW) when a gunman steps out of the shadows with a shotgun and opens fire. Emma leaps in front of her father and is killed before the gunman escapes. Heartbroken, Craven journeys to London on a quest to track down what he and his boss believe to be one of his old enemies. But the deeper he digs, the more he begins to believe that his daughter was the prime target due to the efforts of her group, GAIA, to expose a nearby nuclear waste facility called Northmoor which has been illegally storing plutonium.

I honestly thought this was going to be one of those violent "father's revenge" stories and was pleasantly surprised to find how wrong I was at every turn. Rather than turning into an inhuman killing machine wiping out easy targets left and right (not that there's anything wrong with that), Craven's humanity comes increasingly to the fore as his daughter's cause begins to resonate with him and his main goal becomes a desire to finish what she started. This involves duplicating an ill-fated raid by her anti-nuclear group GAIA on Northmoor's subterranean storage facility and successfully recovering the plutonium, at the risk of his own life.

To this end, Craven begins to receive help from a couple of government insiders with similar interests, Pendleton (Charles Kay) and Harcourt (Ian McNeice, ACE VENTURE: WHEN NATURE CALLS), whose prissy characters supply some of the story's droll comic touches. His main ally, however, is CIA agent Darius Jedburgh (Joe Don Baker), a brash Texan who loves the cloak-and-dagger stuff almost as much as a good game of golf. Representing Washington's interests in the matter, Jedburgh accompanies Craven on the daring underground search for Northmoor's plutonium "hot cell" (still littered with the corpses of irradiated workers and GAIA members murdered by the plant's security) which takes up most of episode five and gives the series some of its most riveting moments.

Bob Peck, who played the steely-eyed game warden in JURASSIC PARK, is fascinating to watch because his performance as Ronald Craven is so subtle and intense. Rarely demonstrative in demeanor, there's always a lot going on in his deceptively placid face and wary eyes, making even the slightest emotional outburst all the more effective. His character is allowed much screen time after his daughter's death to actually deal with his grief in a believable way, and it's through that perspective that we view all subsequent events.

As a lead character, Craven's an intriguingly odd duck. While going through Emma's things after her death, he comes across her "personal vibrator" and wistfully kisses it. For him, questioning a suspect is a slow process which includes holding his hand in a loving manner and forming an almost affectionate bond that helps to facilitate a willing candor. His mental state is in question as well, particularly when he begins to see and converse with Emma on a regular basis. His growing fanaticism as the story unfolds--or "greening", one might say--makes him more and more unpredictable in his quest to bring down the rich, power-hungry despoilers of the earth responsible for Emma's death.

Troy Kennedy Martin's screenplay is filled with interesting characters, witty dialogue, and political intrigue, with occasional bursts of suspenseful action. Future "Bond" director Martin Campbell's direction is good--a bit claustrophobic at times, though likely intentionally so--and early signs of his later style are evident here. It's easy to see why, ten years later, Campbell would cast Joe Don Baker as CIA agent Jake Wade in GOLDENEYE. Baker gives perhaps the finest performance of his career as Darius Jedburgh--as often as I've seen him in various things over the years, I still had no idea he was capable of being this good.

Most impressive is a later scene in which he addresses a gathering of business and military bigwigs during a conference on nuclear energy, working himself into a blustering, bellowing frenzy with a block of plutonium in each hand and turning the event into a panic-stricken stampede. Baker also relishes delivering some of the film's headiest dialogue such as the following:

"You ever been to Dallas, Craven?"

"No, sir."

"It's where we shoot our presidents. The Jews got their Calvary, but we got Dealey Plaza!"

The rest of the cast is dotted with familiar faces and fine performances. I recognized Jack Watson and Allan Cuthbertson from British shows such as "The Avengers" and "Fawlty Towers", and Zoe Wanamaker, who plays Jedburgh's associate and Craven's fleeting love interest Clementine, has recently appeared in the "Harry Potter" films. Fans of AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON will instantly recognize white-haired actor John Woodvine as Craven's boss. I was especially pleased to see Kenneth Nelson, so effective as the star of William Friedkin's classic BOYS IN THE BAND, as the evil corporate executive Grogan.

The two-disc DVD set from BBC Warner in in 4.3 full-screen with an English mono soundtrack and English subtitles. Extras include: a slightly-different alternate ending; a music-only track to highlight the fine score by Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen; a photo gallery; a lengthy featurette with cast and crew interviews; and some dry but informative British TV segments featuring interviews, reviews, and scenes from the BAFTA and Broadcasting Press Guild award shows where EDGE OF DARKNESS was a big winner.

Slow doesn't always mean boring, especially when a story has the substance this one has, and the deliberate pace with which EDGE OF DARKNESS unfolds is highly satisfying. I'll admit, I had trouble following some of the intricacies of the plot, but as Steward Lane of the Broadcasting Press Guild puts it in one of the DVD extras, "It was so marvelous 'cause you didn't really know what was going on most of the time...which made it most compulsive viewing." And although it didn't leave me with as strong a fadeout as I'd hoped, I was still thinking about those black flowers for quite awhile afterward.

Buy it at Amazon.com

"DEADLY IMPACT" - On DVD April 20

YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE



Sean Patrick Flanery And Joe Pantoliano Star In The White-Knuckle Action Thriller Crashing Onto Unrated DVD April 20

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (January 27, 2010) – When a police officer’s life collides with a powerful assassin the result is lethal in Deadly Impact, debuting on unrated DVD April 20 from MGM Home Entertainment. Directed by special effects guru Robert Kurtzman, best known for his work in City Slickers and Cabin Fever, the film stars Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints franchise) and Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos, The Matrix franchise).

In an explosive game of cat and mouse, Deadly Impact follows hard-nosed cop Thomas Armstrong (Flanery) whose life was shattered when he became the helpless target of a mastermind murderer. Returning home after a much-needed break, Armstrong joins the FBI to seek revenge and help track down the same killer that threatened his existence, however this time the assassin is back to terrorize not just a single person, but the entire city. In an exhilarating race against time, Armstrong must stay one step ahead to capture the madman and save innocent lives before time runs out.

Turning up the heat with extreme stunt work the Deadly Impact DVD is filled with non-stop action and suspense and will be available for the suggested retail price of $22.98 US and $26.98 Canadian. Prebook is March 24.

Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) on Twitter @foxhomeent

DEADLY IMPACT
Street Date: April 20, 2010
Prebook Date: March 24, 2010
Screen Format: Widescreen – 1.78:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English subtitles
Total Run Time: 96 minutes
U.S. Rating: NR
Closed Captioned: Yes

ROBIN HOOD: SEASON THREE -- DVD review by porfle

I like a good retelling of an old story, as long as it's done right. ROBIN HOOD: SEASON THREE takes the classic legend of Sir Robin of Locksley, the noble outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, and gives it a lavish presentation that's quite rightly-done indeed.

Filmed in Hungary but looking pretty much as I'd imagine medieval England to look (like I'd know), the third season of this popular BBC series continues the story of an England in turmoil during the absence of the benevolent King Richard, who's off fighting in the Holy Land. His power-mad brother, Prince John, is making a mess of things while local government goes to hell. This is especially true in Nottingham, where the cruel Sheriff and his evil lackey, Sir Guy of Gisborne, tax the citizens to the hilt and rule with cruelty and brute force.

The only thing standing between these crumbs and the common folk is ace bowman Robin Hood, once a nobleman but now an outlaw living in the forest with his motley gang and constantly relieving the rich of their riches for the benefit of the poor. He's aided in his quest by two brave but occasionally inept lads, Much (Sam Troughton) and Alan A Dale (Joe Armstrong), and the gentle giant Little John (Gordon Kennedy).


Some important new characters are introduced early on--the courageous and wise warrior-priest Friar Tuck, who encourages Robin to keep up the good fight after Maid Marian's death in season two plunges him into despair, and a spirited young lass named Kate who joins the outlaw band after her brother is murdered by Sir Guy. Casting a black actor, David Harewood, as Tuck is an interesting choice which pays off handsomely since it soon becomes hard to imagine anyone better suited to the role. Joanne Frogatt is appealing as Kate and adds a feminine element to the group in the absence of Maid Marian.

It took me awhile to get used to Jason Armstrong as Robin Hood, since his decidedly un-dashing looks hardly fit the traditional Errol Flynn-type image we're used to. I began to accept him in the role after awhile, however, as this interpretation is an interesting change from the norm. He and his band of outlaws actually look like a bunch of scruffy forest dwellers instead of refugees from a Renaissance fair, and the actors playing them also have a believably common and earthy look.

My initial impression that this was a lightweight show without much substance--sort of a medieval "Dukes of Hazzard"--faded as the early stand-alone episodes gave way to an increasingly involving overall narrative. As the storyline gets deeper and more intricate, it begins to take on the feel of a long, engrossing novel filled with suspense, intrigue, and excitement. By the time Robin and his followers finally take over Nottingham--at the cost of at least one of their dearest members--and brace themselves for a bloody siege against a mighty attacking army, the saga has assumed almost epic proportions. (By television standards, anyway.)

One of the main things that make this show so entertaining are the hissable villains. Keith Allen is wonderful as the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham, who alternates between being unyieldingly cruel and playfully droll. Toby Stephens, who menaced Pierce Brosnan's James Bond in DIE ANOTHER DAY, is absolutely delightful as the monstrously narcissistic Prince John. Stephens has a field day in the role and is an utter joy to watch, whether preening like a rock star before his not-so-admiring public or ordering mass executions out of petulant boredom. Always insecure about his image, he has the following conversation after an unfortunate encounter with the villagers of Locksley:

"Why do the people not love me as you love me, Isabella?"
"You burned their church to the ground with them in it!"
"Yes? And?"


Best of all, the dark, tormented Sir Guy of Gisborne (Richard Armitage, who resembles a demented Ray Davies) is like the Darth Vader of the series and makes an exciting and dangerous nemesis for Robin Hood. He'll undergo some fascinating character development as the season progresses, especially after two major events occur. One is a surprise reunion with his sister Isabella (the beautiful and exciting Lara Pulver), who despises him for selling her into an abusive marriage in her youth and now has her sights set on becoming Sheriff of Nottingham herself. (She'll also become quite a fascinating and formidable character.) The other is the stunning revelation that he and Robin share a half-brother, Archer (Clive Standen), a devil-may-care arms dealer and all-around scoundrel whose allegiances are uncertain.

The series is handsomely mounted, with warm, glowing photography which evokes the period and consistently solid production values. Only seldom does the CGI look noticeably bad. The musical score by Andy Price, which often resembles something out of the LORD OF THE RINGS films, is sufficiently rousing. Direction and editing are good and the stories are well-paced, colorful, and exciting, leading up to an explosive and emotional series finale that you won't soon forget.

This five-disc, thirteen-episode DVD set from the BBC has a 16.9 enhanced aspect ratio and 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Dolby Digital sound, with English subtitles. The fifth disc contains a 32-minute "making of" documentary; two featurettes exploring the series' costumes and the trebuchets created for the final battle sequence; character profiles; and a couple of interesting video diaries by castmembers Lara Pulver and Clive Standen.

Even if you missed the first two seasons as I did, it doesn't take long to catch up with the story and get swept along with ROBIN HOOD: SEASON THREE's scintillating drama and swashbuckling adventure. Rendered in that uniquely British fashion which has a special appeal all its own, it's one hell of a ripping yarn.

Buy it at Amazon.com

"Gentleman Broncos" - On Blu-ray Disc and DVD March 2

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF NAPOLEON DYNAMITE AND NACHO LIBRE COMES ANOTHER UNIQUE VIEW OF THE WORLD


“Flight Of The Conchords’” Jemaine Clement Stars In The Hilarious Comedy Available On Blu-ray Disc And DVD March 2 -- Loaded With Special Features Including Outtakes, Deleted Scenes And Commentary

LOS ANGELES, CA. – (January 22, 2010) – Mount your battle stag, grab your popcorn balls and get ready to laugh your gonads off as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents Gentlemen Broncos on Blu-ray Disc and DVD March 2. The director of Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess) and co-star of HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords” (Jemaine Clement) team up to bring you the story of Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano), a lovable loner whose life is turned upside down when a pretentious fantasy author steals his story at a writers camp. Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie), Sam Rockwell (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Mike White (School of Rock) join a hysterical cast of oddball characters in this “fun, quirky comedy.” (People)


The Gentlemen Broncos Blu-ray Disc and DVD are loaded with special features including outtakes, deleted scenes, commentary from director Jared Hess and his wife/writing-partner Jerusha Hess, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. The Blu-ray Disc will be available for a suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S. and the standard DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $27.98 U.S. Prebook is February 3.

Blu-ray Disc Special Features: (Catalog # 2266733)
--BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE: 16 mini-documentaries featuring the cast of Gentlemen Broncos
--Outtakes Reel: A Buttload of Keepsakes
--Five deleted scenes
--Feature commentary with Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess
--One Nutty Movie: Behind the Scenes of Gentlemen Broncos

DVD Special Features: (Catalog # 2260254)
--Outtakes Reel: A Buttload of Keepsakes
--Five deleted scenes
--Feature commentary with Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess
--One Nutty Movie: Behind the Scenes of Gentlemen Broncos


About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets -- from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce - throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter @FoxHomeEnt

GENTLEMEN BRONCOS
Street Date: March 3, 2010
Prebook Date: February 3, 2010
Screen Format: Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital; Spanish & French Dolby Surround (DVD) English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Spanish & French Dolby Digital (BD)
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish (All)
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 90 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

Carter Steven's Guide To TCM This Week (1/25-1/31)

Jan 25

12:15am (To be technical Jan 26^th) Diary of Anne Frank, The (1959)
A young girl comes of age while hiding from the Nazis.
Cast: Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Richard Beymer Dir: George Stevens BW-171 mins, TV-PG

A nice little film. But it wasn't till I stood in the attic of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam that it's power hit me hard and I cried like a baby. The film just can't make that room small and claustrophobic enough to match the reality.

Jan 26

9:30am Outrage, The (1964)
A Mexican bandit's crimes receive wildly different interpretations from four witnesses.
Cast: Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Edward G. Robinson Dir: Martin Ritt BW-96 mins, TV-PG

I love Paul Newman and Martin Ritt's work but Rashomon was still a whole lot better.

1:00pm Prize, The (1963)
An American Nobel Prize-winner mixes it up with spies when he travels to Stockholm to collect his award.
Cast: Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson, Elke Sommer, Diane Baker Dir: Mark Robson C-135 mins, TV-PG

Shlock, Pure Shlock, Pure enjoyable escapist shlock. And Elke Sommer never looked better.

5:15pm Cat On A Hot Tin Roof(1958)
A dying plantation owner tries to help his alcoholic son solve his problems.
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson Dir: Richard Brooks C-108 mins, TV-PG

Am I the only person who does NOT like Paul Newman in this film? He's pretty enough to be a closet “homo” but he just doesn't carry it off.

Jan 27

12:00am (again in reality the 28^th) Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
A Korean War hero doesn't realize he's been programmed to kill by the enemy.
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury Dir: John Frankenheimer BW-127 mins, TV-PG

A good film made great by Angela Lansbury's bone chilling performance of the Mommy from Hell.

Jan 28

11:45am Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
A team of flyers risks their lives to deliver the mail in a mountainous South American country.
Cast: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Richard Barthelmess, Rita Hayworth Dir: Howard Hawks BW-121 mins, TV-PG

See what made Cary Grant, CARY (fuckin') GRANT. Directed by the great Howard Hawks.

8:00pm Road to Singapore (1940)

9:30pm Road to Zanzibar (1941)

11:15pm Road to Morocco (1942)

12:45am Road to Utopia, The (1946)

2:30am Road to Bali (1952)

See why the movie going public kept Hope and Crosby on the road for so many years.

Jan 29

6:30pm Cariboo Trail, The (1950)
A cattleman fights to establish a ranch in the middle of gold country.
Cast: Randolph Scott, George "Gabby" Hayes, Bill Williams, Karin Booth Dir: Edwin L. Marin C-81 mins, TV-G

Old Stone face rides again. And I'm not talking about Gabby Hayes.

Jan 30

12:00pm Operation Petticoat(1959)
During World War II, the crew of a decrepit submarine takes on a team of Navy nurses.
Cast: Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O'Brien, Dina Merrill Dir: Blake Edwards C-121 mins, TV-G

See what Tony Curtis later channeled in Some Like It Hot.

10:00pm Murder At The Gallop (1963)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple suspects foul play when an old friend is supposedly scared to death by a cat.
Cast: Margaret Rutherford, Robert Morley, Flora Robson, Charles Tingwell Dir: George Pollock BW-81 mins, TV-G

Margaret Rutherford, Miss Marple...enough said.

Jan 31

11:30am South Pacific (1958)
A Navy nurse must choose between love and prejudice during World War II.
Cast: Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Ray Walston Dir: Joshua Logan C-157 mins, TV-G

A terrible version of this musical with “tinted” scenes to evoke the feeling of the songs (that doesn't work at all) but when all is said and done it's still Rogers and Hammerstein and Some Enchanted Evening.

4:00pm Alfie(1966)
A British womanizer refuses to grow up until tragedy strikes.
Cast: Michael Caine, Shelley Winters, Millicent Martin, Julia Foster Dir: Lewis Gilbert C-114 mins, TV-14

See why Michael Caine is not just a great actor but a Movie Star as well.

10:00pm Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Fanciful musical biography of wild West sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
Cast: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, J. Carrol Naish Dir: George Sidney C-107 mins, TV-G

Double duty musical day at TCM. Again not a great film (J. Carrol Nash as an Indian chief...please) but great music. (have you noticed I'm a sucker for musicals, unusual in a straight guy.)

3:45am Ordinary People (1980)
When a young man drowns, his family fights to recover from the trauma.
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch Dir: Robert Redford C-124 mins, TV-MA

A depressing film, artfully directed by Robert Redford on his first time out and beautifully acted by a somber Mary Tyler Moore.

George Clooney leads "THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS" from Anchor Baaay Entertainment -- coming to DVD and Blu-raaay March 23rd

STARRING ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER GEORGE CLOONEY, ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE JEFF BRIDGES, EWAN MCGREGOR AND TWO-TIME ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER KEVIN SPACEY


On DVD and Blu-ray™ Tuesday, March 23rd From Anchor Bay Entertainment

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Academy Award® winner George Clooney (Up in the Air), Academy Award® nominee Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Golden Globe® and SAG Award® nominee Ewan McGregor (Angels & Demons), and two-time Academy Award® winner Kevin Spacey (American Beauty) star in Overture Films’ The Men Who Stare At Goats, a comedic look at real life events that are almost too bizarre to believe, available on DVD and Blu-ray™ Tuesday, February 23rd from Anchor Bay Entertainment (Pre-Book February 18, 2010).

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Grant Heslov (Good Night, and Good Luck) from a screenplay by Peter Straughan (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People), The Men Who Stare At Goats follows a reporter (McGregor) who gets way more than he bargained for when he accompanies an enigmatic Special Forces operator (Clooney) on a mind-boggling mission.

Featuring a supporting cast that includes Robert Patrick ("The Unit"), Stephen Root (The Soloist), Stephen Lang (Avatar) and Rebecca Mader ("Lost"), The Men Who Stare At Goats was inspired by Jon Ronson's non-fiction bestseller of the same name, an eye-opening and often hilarious exploration of the government's attempts to harness paranormal abilities to combat its enemies. The Men Who Stare At Goats was produced by Clooney, Heslov and Paul Lister. SRP is $29.98 for the DVD and $39.98 for the Blu-ray™ edition.

Michael Sragow of the Baltimore Sun called The Men Who Stare At Goats “refreshingly unpredictable.” Said Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post, The Men Who Stare At Goats “taps into the gonzo energy of Hunter S. Thompson.” Added E! Entertainment’s Ben Lyons, “Clooney and his pals are clearly having fun in this offbeat, yet effective political comedy,” while Screen International’s Mike Goodridge said “Bridges revisits his ‘Dude’ character from The Big Lebowski with enthusiasm.”

In The Men Who Stare At Goats, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit. According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the way wars are fought; they are a legion of “Warrior Monks” with psychic powers who can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it.

When the program’s founder, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), goes missing, Bob decides to tag along on Cassady’s mission to find him. The pair track Django to a clandestine training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) and the reporter becomes trapped in a grudge match between Django’s New Earth Army and Hooper’s personal militia of super soldiers.

The Men Who Stare At Goats standard definition DVD bonus features include Goats Declassified: The Real Men Of The First Earth Battalion; Project "Hollywood": A Classified Report From The Set; audio commentary with director Grant Heslov; audio commentary with book author Jon Ronson; character bios; deleted scenes; and the theatrical trailer. The Men Who Stare At Goats Blu-ray™ edition includes the same bonus features, plus a digital copy of the film.

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS DVD
Street Date: March 23rd, 2010
Pre-book: February 18, 2010
Cat. #: OV21370
UPC: 0 1313 21370-9 4
Run Time: 94 minutes
Rating: R
SRP: $29.98
Format: 2.35:1 / 16x9
Audio: Dolby Surround 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Bonus Features:
Goats Declassified: The Real Men Of The First Earth Battalion
Project "Hollywood": A Classified Report From The Set
Audio Commentary with Director Grant Heslov
Audio Commentary with Book Author Jon Ronson
Character Bios
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer


THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS BLU-RAY™
Street Date: March 23rd, 2010
Pre-book: February 18, 2010
Cat. #: BD21373
UPC: 0 1313 21373-9 1
Run Time: 94 minutes
Rating: R
SRP: $39.98
Format: 2.35:1 / 16x9
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Bonus Features:
Goats Declassified: The Real Men Of The First Earth Battalion
Project "Hollywood": A Classified Report From The Set
Audio Commentary with Director Grant Heslov
Audio Commentary with Book Author Jon Ronson
Character Bios
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
A Digital Copy of the Film

Buy it at Amazon.com
DVD
Blu-Ray

Two Installments Of The "ONG BAK" Experience Arrive On Blu-ray Disc & DVD ­ Feb 2

Experience all the bone-breaking Ong Bak action on February 2 when Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior debuts on Blu-ray Disc from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Ong Bak 2: The Beginning arrives as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc and DVD from Magnolia Home Entertainment.

Physical conflict elevated to an art form is showcased in stunning high-definition when the visceral battle, Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior, premieres on Blu-ray Disc from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. When the head of his village’s sacred Buddha statue is stolen, simple country boy Ting (Tony Jaa) is sent to Bangkok to retrieve it in the martial arts symphony of flying limbs. It’s non-stop action as Ting infiltrates Bangkok’s seedy underworld and takes on a series of lowlifes and criminals in his quest to obtain the sacred head.

Featuring elaborate and eye-popping martial arts enhanced in high-definition all performed without the aid of stunt doubles, wires or computer graphic enhancements, Ong-Bak packs a punch that sets the new gold standard for hand-to-hand combat in action cinema. The Blu-ray Disc is bursting with bonus features including a music video featuring Jaa, an instructional walk-through highlighting the movements of Muay Thai, behind the scenes stunt footage, a promotional spot featuring The RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan, and more. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior Blu-ray Disc will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99.

Martial arts master Jaa returns with a vengeance in the highly anticipated prequel Ong Bak 2: The Beginning, arriving as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc and DVD from Magnolia Home Entertainment under the Magnet Releasing label as part of the Six Shooter Film Series. Jaa stars in and co-directs the epic tale of revenge set hundreds of years in the past that follows the journey of an orphaned boy, trained to be a killer and prophesized to be the conqueror of an empire. Versed in countless styles of weaponry and martial arts, he is a one-man-army hell bent on avenging the murder of his parents.

Taking Jaa’s skills to the next level, Ong Bak 2 showcases a wide range of martial arts styles as he flies through the air defying the laws of gravity and performing jaw-dropping stunts. Collector’s Edition special features include an alternate cut, three ‘making of’ featurettes, three behind-the-scenes features, HDNet: A Look At Ong Bak 2, interviews with cast members including Tony Jaa, and more. Ong Bak 2: The Beginning Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc and DVD will each be available for the suggested retail price of $29.98. A standard DVD version will also be available for $26.98.

"Dying Room Only" (70's TV Horror Movie) Comes To DVD From Warner Archive

This month’s featured release from the Warner Archive is "Dying Room Only", the long awaited made for TV horror movie starring Cloris Leachman arriving this week on DVD for the First Time Ever only on the Warner Archive.

Synopsis: Acres of burning desert. A rundown diner. Hostile, close-mouthed locals. And an upscale L.A. couple just passing through. It’s the perfect setup for suspense. Eight-time Emmy Award® winner Cloris Leachman leads a stellar cast that includes Ross Martin, Ned Beatty and Dabney Coleman in a smart, lean chiller scripted by acclaimed sci-fi/fantasy writer Richard Matheson (I Am Legend).

The story follows Jean Miller (Leachman), whose husband (Dabney Coleman) disappears after they stop at the dusty crossroads diner. No one – not even the sheriff (Dana Elcar) – will help her. So Jean desperately begins her own investigation, one that leads her straight into an ingenious web of mystery and murder.

Clips:
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Available at Warner Archive

Text the Peeps: Aunt Sandy Is Going Down Once More! by Jessica Friedman

Last weekend, Ian and I went home to visit our families and celebrate my father’s birthday. During our stay, we visited the local bookstore as we often do, and I came across an enemy of my past that has been cropping up EVERYWHERE recently: Sandra Lee.

As some of you are aware, I hate Sandra Lee with a passion, but that hatred had dwindled significantly while I was worrying about other aspects of my life (getting a job, getting married, staying married to Ian…lol). Lo and behold, Sandra came back into our lives with four holiday specials on HGTV that Ian and I tried to watch, but that were so horrific we could barely stay tuned. Sandra using former cancer patients for her benefit was SO exploitative it made me sick to my stomach (the terrifying red Christmas tree pictured above certainly didn’t help either), but after the holidays, I lost interest once again. Cablevision certainly didn’t help by shutting down Food Network and HGTV transmissions, effectively cutting Sandy out of our lives for the time being.

Anyway, while Ian and I were at the bookstore, I started rummaging through the displayed magazines and came across the Semi-Homemade winter magazine, complete with Sandra’s soulless eyes staring back at me. Here is a link to the Table of Contents:

http://www.semihomemademag.com/inthisissue.asp

I had to kill some time while Ian spent his usual half-hour staring at DVDs, so I started flipping through the pages and came across “Heirloom Easy” (e.g. how to take the good food your parents/grandparents made and turn it into crap quickly and easily).

One heirloom recipe for a brownie sundae is what finally pushed me over the edge and brought back my HATRED for this woman. Sandra’s brownies consisted of boxed brownie mix (nothing wrong with that, but certainly not “heirloom” unless her mother was Betty Crocker), some eXpresso (yes, that is misspelled on purpose since that is the way she pronounces it), basic ingredients for brownies (oil, water, egg), vanilla ice cream, and store-bought hot fudge and caramel sauce. That is IT. How in the world is this a “recipe,” let alone an heirloom recipe? How does this woman continue to amass a freakin’ empire when her recipes consist of desserts I could and did make when I was 8? Why is this woman dating a Cuomo and starring in two shows on the Food Network?

Ahem. To make a long story short, I am finally going to complete the task I set before me so many years ago and will finish defining the 9 Rings of Hell according to Sandra Lee’s cookbook for kids. If The Inferno is coming out with a new edition featuring a video game poster for its cover, than I better get on the bandwagon and publish my OWN version of Dante’s classic, Sandra Lee style. Each week, we will enter another ring of Sandy’s hell, so get ready to once again experience the terrifying depths of Sandra Lee’s ignorance about cooking, children, taste, etc.

In other words, Text the Peeps! Aunt Sandy is back!