NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 11/4/09

 

 

Less a warm family holiday film and more of a "mi familia loca" soap opera, NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS (2008) takes its time finally gathering up all the strings of its plot and weaving them into a mildly interesting variation of a familiar story, this time involving a Puerto Rican brood in Chicago. 

 

The dysfunctional Rodriguez family contains enough drama for at least a whole season of primetime TV (including a Christmas special). Freddy Rodriguez ("El Wray" of PLANET TERROR) is returning Iraq war vet Jesse, haunted by guilt because he survived an explosion that killed his friend and unwilling to take over the family business as expected. 

 

Another GRINDHOUSE alumnus, Vanessa Ferlito (DEATH PROOF), is his actress sister Roxanna who hides the fact that she isn't the big star everyone thinks she is. With his usual manic energy, John Leguizamo plays Mo, the white-collar businessman brother whose Caucasian wife, Sarah (Debra Messing), also a biz whiz, is happy to let her biological clock tick away as her in-laws pray for grandchildren. 

 

Of course, various romantic dramas are explored--Jesse yearns to get back with his ex-girlfriend Marissa (Melonie Diaz), who's involved with someone else, while Roxanna considers getting serious with family friend Ozzy (Jay Hernandez) but worries about his murderous vendetta against the neighborhood guy (Manny Perez) who killed his brother. 

 

All of this, however, takes a back seat to the bombshell that gets dropped on all of their heads during a big family dinner--namely, the sudden announcement by mother Anna (Elizabeth Peña) that she's divorcing their father Edy (Alfred Molina) after 36 years of marriage because she suspects him of cheating on her. 

 

 

Until that moment, I kept wondering what direction NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS was going to take. It wasn't funny enough to be a comedy, although it does manage to be fairly amusing at times. I like this exchange between father Edy and war veteran son Jesse: 

 

"We know you've been through a lot. Your mother and me, we rented 'Coming Home.'"

"I'm surprised you didn't rent 'Taxi Driver.'"

"Yeah, we rented that, too."

 

Luis Guzmán certainly does his obnoxious best to comedy things up as nephew Johnny, and it's fun seeing Leguizamo play a more conservative and vaguely nerdy character. The various dramatic elements also aren't all that engaging at first, and need time to percolate before yielding much interest. As a warm and fuzzy family Christmas story, it's barely there. 

 

But Mama Rodriguez' divorce decree throws the switch on what makes the rest of it work--now everyone's worried about not only their present concerns, but the fact that this will likely be their last Christmas together as a family. 

 

There's a good running gag about the menfolk trying in vain to cut down a big, gnarly tree in the front yard which refuses to budge, which is probably symbolic of something if you think about it long enough. Rodríguez, Ferlito, and Leguizamo get some nice chemistry going in some of their scenes together. 

 

I could do without the pandering "white people" cracks, and it's troubling to see members of the family openly insult Sarah to her face in Spanish or refer to her as "Barbie Doll", especially when she's making an awkward effort to fit in. Her character, however, gains unexpected depth when she later becomes an ally to Edy after he reveals a crucial secret to her. 

 

 

The film is at its best when Molina and Peña are on the screen. Alfred Molina can convey great warmth, as is evident even in his early scenes in SPIDERMAN 2, and his performance here is the emotional heart of the whole story. Elizabeth Peña, likewise, lends a realism and maturity to her role with seemingly little effort. Among the rest of the cast, the standout for me is Freddy Rodríguez in a sensitive and soulful performance that provides interesting counterpoint to his bombastic hero "El Wray" in PLANET TERROR. 

 

The Anchor Bay DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Surround 5.1 and Spanish mono. English and Spanish subtitles are available. Extras include a commentary with director Alfredo De Villa, producer Robert Teitel, and Freddy Rodríguez, about fifteen minutes of bloopers, a trailer, and a cast reunion featurette (minus Molina and Leguizamo). 

 

As a comedy-drama about the importance of family, friends, and lovers, and a celebration of Puerto Rican culture, NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS comes together in its second half with a pretty satisfying payoff. Not looking for it to become a Christmas tradition, though.

 

 

NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS -- DVD Review by Porfle

SUNSHINE CLEANING -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 8/9/09

 

From the looks of it, I thought this was going to be some sappy lightweight comedy or something, but it turned out to be right up my alley. Why? Because I'm a little twisted, and so is SUNSHINE CLEANING (2008), a cockeyed but wonderfully emotional comedy-drama about two sisters who find themselves in the business of cleaning up blood-splattered death scenes.

Amy Adams is dazzling as Rose Lorkowski, a former head cheerleader and prom queen who now runs a cleaning service while trying to cope with her intelligent but difficult son, Oliver (Jason Spevack), and flighty, irresponsible little sister Norah (Emily Blunt), whom she had to help raise after their mother's death. Rose is still "dating" former high school quarterback Mac (Steve Zahn), now a cop, even though he's married and has a second child on the way. When Oliver is expelled from school for "licking", Rose must think of a way to earn enough to afford to send him to a private school. Mac suggests, during one of their illicit motel room trysts, that she try the lucrative world of crime and trauma scene cleanup.

The funniest scenes occur as novices Rose and Norah bumble their way through their first jobs in this bloody and often downright disgusting profession. They scrape gore off the walls with toothbrushes and kitchen cleaner, toss bio-hazardous materials into dumpsters, and more often than not have to clean up their own barf along with everything else. Gradually, though, with the friendly guidance of Winston (Clifton Collins Jr., TRAFFIC), a one-armed model builder who runs the store where they buy their supplies, they start to get a tad more professional.

They also begin, inadvertently, to get more personally involved with the survivors. Rose sits with a suddenly-widowed elderly woman outside her home and comforts her until someone comes to pick her up. Norah, discovering a ribbon-bound stack of old photographs at the scene of a woman's suicide, tracks down her daughter Lynn (Mary Lynn Rajskub, "Mr. Show") who works at a blood bank. This leads to a tentative lesbian relationship as the two troubled women reach out to one another, discovering an emotional common ground that draws them together.

Of course, just when the sisters think they've found the magic key to post-mortem success, things start to go wrong. Rose finally makes the amazing deduction that her relationship with Mac is a dead-end and that she may very well officially be a failure in life. Norah finally gives Lynn those photographs and reveals the reason for their first meeting, and Lynn doesn't take it well. Worst of all, something disastrous happens on the job (it's Norah's fault, of course) which threatens to ruin them both on a financial and personal level. But while all of this stuff is going wrong, other things are starting to go right in ways that aren't as immediately evident.

Director Christine Jeffs makes the most of Megan Holley's well-written screenplay with a lean style and a crackling pace that doesn't let up. The film's tone remains consistent throughout, even when the comedy gives way to some pretty dramatic and emotional scenes. Jeffs has a light, naturalistic touch that keeps the heavier stuff from getting as maudlin as it might have been in other hands--both the small tragedies and the life-affirming triumphs are just parts of the story's texture as they would be in real life.

The cast is so good that their characters come alive. Jason Spevack as the inquisitive, introspective Oscar is one of those spooky-good child actors who can hold his own with an old veteran like the great Alan Arkin, who plays Rose and Norah's enterprising dad, or Clifton Collins Jr. as the likable and dependable Winston. Steve Zahn plays Mac with an air of detachment suitable to his character, who will never commit to Rose. Making brief appearances are the wonderful Paul Dooley as a used car salesman and Robert Redford's daughter Amy as Mac's pregnant wife. As Lynn, Mary Lynn Rajskub has that same quirky, hesitant quality that she always brought to her comedy roles and it works well here. Amy Adams does a brilliant job of fully inhabiting the character of Rose and it's fascinating just to watch her use that expressive face so well. Emily Blunt is equally good as Norah, gradually revealing the scared little lost girl beneath the gangly, clumsy exterior.

The DVD image and Dolby 5.1 surround sound are good. The movie can be watched in either 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen or full frame. Bonus features include a commentary track with writer Megan Holley and producer Glenn Williamson, a cool featurette called "A Fresh Look at a Dirty Business"--in which two women who actually do this for a living talk about their profession and how well the film portrays it--and a theatrical trailer.

I judged this DVD by its cover and thought it was going to be just another chick-and-wimp flick. But when it opened with a gory shotgun suicide in a sporting goods store, I was forced to readjust my expectations. And when it took the interesting turn of exploring who has to clean up after such an event and what the job must be like for them, I was hooked. I would recommend SUNSHINE CLEANING to anyone, because it isn't just a silly comedy, a sappy melodrama, or a life-affirming feelgood fix. Well, it is life-affirming, but, in a weird way, it's also death-affirming. Does that make sense?

SUNSHINE CLEANING -- DVD Review by Porfle

PANDORUM -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 12/29/09

 

Imagine if ALIEN RESURRECTION had been really grim and scary instead of just a fun, pulpy, and ultimately silly sci-fi/action flick. Or if EVENT HORIZON had really kicked major ass instead of just coming frustratingly close. Or if Ridley Scott and James Cameron were Siamese twins. That's pretty much what you get with PANDORUM (2009), one of the most satisfying sci-fi thrillers I've seen in quite a while.

As the film opens, the immense space ark Elysium is carrying thousands of refugees from a dying Earth to another planet that can sustain human life. Crewmen Bower (Ben Foster) and Payton (Dennis Quaid) are awakened from hypersleep to discover that something has gone very wrong--during their abnormally long hibernation, a space sickness known as Pandorum has driven certain other crewmembers and passengers mad. Not only have the ship's systems been sabotaged, but a segment of the ship's population have mutated into terrifying flesh-eating creatures known as Hunters.

With Payton trying to gain access to the bridge, Bower sets off to find the ship's reactor in order to restore power and keep the ship from self-destructing. Along the way he meets warrior woman Nadia (Antje Traue) and Vietnamese badass Manh (Cung Le) who help him survive against wave after wave of attacks from the almost-invulnerable mutants. As time runs out and the symptoms of Pandorum begin to set in, Bower eventually discovers the shocking secret of how truly disastrous their situation is.


PANDORUM starts out with an intriguing mystery that's only gradually revealed as Bower's odyssey takes him further into the bowels of the cursed ship. The fact that he has partial amnesia due to his extended hypersleep means that he must discover each part of the puzzle along with us. We never know if he can trust Payton, who's starting to act a little funny, or if Bower himself may be suffering from delusions. The fellow crewmembers he meets along the way are equally in the dark, while the ones who have been out of hypersleep longer than Bower have become ruthless killers bent only on day-to-day survival.

As Bower, Ben Foster gives an intense performance that finally helps me forget him as Charlie Prince in 3:10 TO YUMA, with old pro Dennis Quaid ideal in the role of Payton. The rest of the cast is also very good, particularly Antje Traue as the lovely and dynamic Nadia. Not quite as lovely but just as effective are Cung Le as Manh and, in a smaller role, Eddie Rouse as a cunning survivor with a culinary interest in our heroes. Cam Gigandet (of the TWILIGHT saga) is suitably mysterious as crewmember Gallo, who may be behind the Pandorum-induced sabotage of the ship and its vital mission.

Director Christian Alvart has crafted a stylish, great-looking film with beautiful cinematography and stunning set design that is continuously impressive. Camerawork is fine and editing is sharp while only occasionally bordering on the hyperactive. Special effects, including an imaginative ship design that looks really cool in the fly-bys, are top-notch.


The late Stan Winston's creature shop supplies some very effective and convincing Hunter-monsters, which reminded me somewhat of the subterranean creatures in THE DESCENT but are even uglier and way more deadly. CGI is used with restraint and doesn't draw attention to itself, which is how CGI should always be used as far as I'm concerned.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Surround 5.1 and Spanish mono, with English and Spanish subtitles. Extras include a making-of featurette, flight team "training video", a short film that shows us the fate of Nadia's team, several deleted and alternate scenes, and a trailer. There's also a commentary by director Alvart and producer Jeremy Bolt which is loaded with behind-the-scenes info.

A scintillating space thriller that's both mindbending and action-packed, PANDORUM is a riveting experience that keeps the viewer in suspense until the twist ending. It's definitely up for a spot on my list of favorite sci-fi flicks.

PANDORUM -- DVD Review by Porfle

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 2/22/10

 

 

After spending years glued to the 24-hour TV-news networks and bending my ears with hours upon hours of talk radio--and agonizing over every sordid detail of each late-breaking political train wreck as it came screaming off the presses--I finally just turned it all off and started enjoying life again. For awhile, anyway. It's been nice.

So what do I find myself reviewing today? CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (2009), the latest muckraking documentary by left-wing gadfly Michael Moore. Gaa!!!

Well, I'm not going to get into politics today because I used up my last good nerve on that stuff years ago. Instead, I'll try to focus on the film's entertainment value and watchability. First off, Moore starts the ball rolling with a promo clip for Hershell Gordon Lewis' BLOOD FEAST, with Bill Kerwin warning young, impressionable, and heart-attack-prone viewers to steer clear of the impending feature. That's worth some nostalgia points right there. Unfortunately, it makes me want to watch BLOOD FEAST.

Moore's film, however, is pretty scary itself. It's a scathing indictment of how capitalism and free enterprise in America have long been corrupted by the rich and powerful for their own greedy purposes while us Joe and Jane Six-Packs get the shaft. Part of Moore's method is to show us some of those awesome 50s educational films that are so delightfully square and full of crewcuts and horn-rims, and contrast their chipper naivete' with contemporary horror stories of families getting thrown out of their homes, factory workers being fired en masse, and airline pilots on food stamps.

The old "American dream vs. American nightmare" stuff works every time, especially when it's accompanied by dramatic Beethoven music. Moore's goal is to make you scared, sad, and outraged, and also to make you laugh--an emotional smorgasbord. With deft editing of stock film and music, plus his own manipulative documentary footage and slanted observations, the filmmaker creates a chunky visual goulash that would have Bela Lugosi shouting "Pool da strink!"

Naturally, Moore is able to gleefully avail himself of clips from old Ronald Reagan movies, which is convenient since most of our Republican presidents didn't start out as B-movie actors. So we get to see Ronnie whipping out his six-shooter on the unions or slapping a woman around while Moore chides "Take that, feminists!" or whatever. Not exactly a strict documentary approach, but as comedy it scores on a MST3K level. Later, a clip of George W. Bush giving a doom-and-gloom speech on the economy is made hilarious with the digital addition of screaming people fleeing in terror in the background while the White House is beseiged by earthquakes, tornadoes, and monsters. Funny stuff, in an Adult Swim sort of way.

Interview segments are interspersed throughout, some (politicians, financial experts) more relevant that others (actor Wallace Shawn). Moore also recruits a few religious figures to solemnly explain to us why capitalism itself is inherently evil--refraining, as one might guess, from consulting any who might express a differing view. Most effective are the accounts of downtrodden victims of a crumbling economy, and a few minutes spent with his own father on the site of a razed factory back in Flint, Michigan where he once worked adds to the often melancholy tone.

Moore goes for the heartstrings in these segments, plucking away with sad accounts of personal tragedy and hardship caused by corporate greed. You can't help but be moved by shots of little kids crying and people finding out the hard way that refinancing their homes probably wasn't such a good idea when the cops start breaking the door down. Some revelations are guaranteed to outrage, such as the concept of "Dead Peasants" insurance, which is the practice of taking out life-insurance policies on employees so that a company profits by their death. Recaps of high-profile scandals and evidence of deep-rooted government corruption are also sure to make you feel either angry or depressed, or both. Not to mention powerless.

But then, of course, we're back to the classic Michael Moore schtick of him trying to wedge a film crew through the front door of a gleaming corporate fortress so that some fat, overworked security shlub will have to come out and deal with them. This is what Michael Moore fans love to see--the cavorting troublemaker "sticking it to" the bad guys with nought but his disruptive and rebelliously unkempt presence. "I'm making a citizen's arrest!" he yells into a megaphone at a building. Or he backs a rented armored truck up to the door and demands that the fat cats cowering under their desks return their billions in bailout money to the taxpayers. Or simply wraps the building in yellow crime scene tape.

Moore got a taste for this kind of street theater with ROGER AND ME, and, useless as it may be, loves to perform it for us while "documenting" it. And, of course, it's fun to watch in the same way it was fun whenever David Letterman used to go down to GE headquarters to stir up a little trouble with the suits.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 with English and Spanish subtitles. Extras include a substantial ten featurettes and two trailers.

The picture begins with a "what if"--what if we'd listened to Jimmy Carter (aka "Debbie Downer") back in 1979?--and ends with the comforting assurance that President Obama will wisely and selflessly strive to put things right again. Do I buy everything Michael Moore says? No. Does CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY accurately expose the evil machinations of a bunch of greedy, insanely wealthy bastards who play with our economy, and our lives, like it was their own private crap game? Yes. Does it make me want to abandon capitalism and embrace socialism? No. Is it entertaining? Well, to be honest, I was really bummed out after I watched it, but that was the point. And it was funny at times, and generally very well-crafted. And it made me think. I think I want to watch BLOOD FEAST.

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS -- DVD review by porfle

 

Originally posted on 3/16/10

 

You never get the feeling that you're watching something truly, awesomely, memorably funny, yet THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS (2009) is fun and endearing, and surprisingly heartfelt for a comedy about psychic warriors in the American military who remote-view enemy positions and attempt to subdue their opponents with tactics such as sparkly eyes, gentle thoughts, and invisibility. And the fact that this cheerfully off-kilter tall tale is largely based on true events makes it just short of wonderful.

Ewan McGregor plays journalist Bob Wilton, who's just been dumped by his wife and goes off to Iraq to prove to her that he isn't a wimp by becoming a war correspondent. His life takes a big left turn when he meets the mysterious Special Forces vet Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) and is swept up in a secret mission with this seemingly insane zealot who professes to be a former Jedi warrior with paranormal mental abilities. Into the desert they go, where they're kidnapped by gunmen, rescued by American capitalist opportunists led by TERMINATOR 2's Robert Patrick, and drawn back into a perversion of Cassady's old Special Forces unit now operating on the dark side from a hidden desert base under the leadership of former teammate Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey).

The unit's benevolent founder, New Age idealist Colonel Bill Django (Jeff Bridges)--whose efforts were once backed by President Reagan since he was "a fan of both the Star Wars films and the paranormal himself"--is now a burn-out who is unable to stop Hooper from using his peaceful psy-ops techniques as a destructive force. With a guilt-ridden Cassady believing himself cursed for once having used his mental powers to kill a goat, and Django having surrendered his principals of non-violent engagement to the evil Hooper, a newly-converted Wilton must rally the two faded Jedis for a last chance at redemption and the final validation of their ideals.


What seems like nothing more than light, frothy comedy material at first gains considerable depth the farther we get into these characters and are drawn into their weird world along with Wilton, who, like Alice, suddenly finds himself plunging straight down the rabbit hole from his first encounter with Cassady. The story pushes the bounds of nuttiness without crossing over into farce, so that it remains involving and suspenseful as an off-kilter action yarn, especially since Cassady takes it all so deadly serious.

He's not kidding when he talks about walking through walls, using mind power to make clouds disappear, or giving a goat the lethal stare, and he really believes that a jealous Hooper once zapped him with the "Dim Mak death touch" even though it may take up to 18 years to work. As the Jedi master and the confused journalist careen through the desert on their enigmatic mission, it's fun watching Cassady put his supposed paranormal powers to use in one dangerous situation after another as Wilton looks on with frantic incredulity.


As he's already proven in his Coen Brothers films, George Clooney has gotten very good at playing this kind of role, able to invest his character with utter deadpan sincerity while deftly drawing out all the comedy potential (flashbacks of his younger self flourishing under Django's mind-expanding tutelage are a hoot). He never makes a misstep--other actors might have been tempted to mug or play too broadly, if only a little bit--and is entirely convincing.

Kevin Spacey, as usual, seems capable of doing all of this without any effort (which probably takes a lot of effort). As for Jeff Bridges, he's in familiar territory as the laidback New Age dude and knows his way around it, this time with the added dimension of being a bonafide military officer wielding his skewed perspective in the art of warfare. Ewan McGregor, all fresh-faced and earnest, gets to play another likably quirky American who, ironically, ends up once again as a Jedi in training.


The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 with English and Spanish subtitles. Extras include two commentaries (by director Grant Heslov and book author Jon Ronson), a brief "making of" featurette, deleted and alternate scenes, character bios, and trailers for this and other Anchor Bay releases. (Blu-Ray includes a digital copy of the film.) Of special interest is the featurette "Goats Declassified: the Real Men of the First Earth Battlion", which tells us just how strangely close to the truth much of the movie is.

Although it's probably in little danger of becoming a classic or gaining any kind of devoted cult following, THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS is worthwhile entertainment that's fast-paced and fun to watch. The ending is a bit too literal--it should've cut to black a split-second before we see whether or not a real-life Jedi actually can walk through walls. As for the goat, maybe Cassady really did kill it with his mind. Or maybe its time was just up.

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS -- DVD review by porfle

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN -- DVD review by porfle

 Originally posted on 2/3/10

 

 

Recently I praised the 1985 BBC mini-series "Edge of Darkness" for not being just another "father's revenge" flick. Now I'm jazzed about LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009) for being exactly that, only moreso--this time the vengeful dad doesn't just go after the scum who killed his family, but he takes on the entire justice system that failed to adequately punish them in the first place. And the ways in which he does this are downright exhilarating. 

 

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler of 300) is the happy husband and father who survives a terrifying home invasion which leaves his wife and daughter brutally murdered. 

 

To his dismay, ambitious young assistant D.A. Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) cuts a plea bargain with the worst of the two killers to insure that the other will be convicted. This means that while accomplice Ames (Josh Stewart) lands on death row, the monstrous Darby (Christian Stolte) will be back on the streets in a few years. 

 

Nick considers this a good enough deal--"Better some justice than none at all", he tells his mentor, D.A. Jonas Cantrell (Bruce McGill)--but the devastated Clyde finds it utterly unacceptable, and spends the next ten years slowly and methodically planning his revenge. 

 

How that plays out is what makes LAW ABIDING CITIZEN so entertaining. Clyde displays an almost godlike ability to influence events from afar, as seen when he somehow manages to turn Ames' simple execution by lethal injection into a horror show. Then comes his capture and slow dissection of the loathesome Darby in an elaborate warehouse torture chamber, in a sequence that gives us such vicarious satisfaction it's almost scary. 

 

We wonder what Clyde's up to when he willingly allows himself to be taken into custody, but this becomes quite clear during his bail hearing (which he turns into a glorious shambles as the indignant judge, played by Annie Corley, bangs away furiously with her gavel) and subsequent cat-and-mouse encounters with Nick. The game quickly escalates when more people involved with the original trial start to get killed in nasty ways while Clyde sits in his jail cell, somehow orchestrating the whole thing. 

 

 

 

One thing that makes the film so interesting for me is that there's no clear-cut good guy or bad guy. Clyde is clearly the avenging hero early on, and even when his actions begin to go far beyond any acceptable idea of revenge (in movie terms, anyway), I can't help but continue to root for him on some level. 

 

Nick, on the other hand, comes across as a shallow, self-interested jerk during his early dealings with Clyde, but once he becomes a father himself and begins to understand what would drive a man to do such things--while finally realizing that there's more to justice than making deals--his character gradually becomes more sympathetic (although he never fully redeems himself in my mind). In the end, our feelings towards both characters remain intriguingly complicated. 

 

Action scenes alternate with tense dialogue exchanges between the leads, who are both excellent in their roles. Gerard Butler puts a lot of feeling into his early scenes as Clyde pleads with Nick not to bargain with his daughter's killer, and later transforms into an unstoppable opponent without becoming a cold, stereotypical villain. 

 

As Nick, Jamie Foxx proves once again that he has the talent and screen presence to handle this sort of dramatic role very well. Bruce McGill (hard to believe he was D-Day in ANIMAL HOUSE) is solid as the wise old D.A. and Leslie Bibb (IRON MAN, WRISTCUTTERS:A LOVE STORY) is likable as Nick's partner, Sarah. As the no-nonsense mayor, Viola Davis makes a strong impression, while the always-reliable Colm Meaney's "Detective Dunnigan" is a tough guy from the old school. 

 

 

Director F. Gary Gray gives the film much of the same snappy, fast-moving energy that made his remake of THE ITALIAN JOB one of my favorite recent action flicks, although this material really could've benefitted from a darker sensibility such as that shown by David Fincher in SE7EN. Kurt Wimmer's screenplay is sharp and often scintillating. 

 

The rich cinematography and shadowy lighting convey what is described as "neo-noir", with actual courthouse and prison locations in Philadelphia serving as photogenic backdrops. There's a moody score by Brian Tyler (FRAILTY), with a special treat for Grand Funk Railroad fans during the closing credits. 

 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Dolby Surround, with English and Spanish subtitles. Extras include a fun commentary track with producers Lucas Foster and Alan Siegel, trailers, and three featurettes: "The Justice of 'Law Abiding Citizen'", with actual lawyers weighing in on the movie's events; "Law in Black and White--Behind the Scenes"; and "Preliminary Arguments--The Visual Effects of 'Law Abiding Citizen'." 

 

There's a fair number of thrills, shocks, and twists in LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, and the moral ambiguities raise some interesting questions to ponder (yeah, right) along the way. But most of all, watching Gerard Butler's character exact righteous revenge against his family's killers and then run roughshod over what he calls a "broken" legal system, while plunging the entire city of Philadelphia into turmoil with his delightfully outlandish acts of mayhem, is just plain fun.

 

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN -- DVD review by porfle

Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes star in BROOKLYN'S FINEST, coming to DVD and Blu-ray July 6th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

“Gritty and compelling” -- Dan Jewel, Life & Style Weekly

GOLDEN GLOBE® WINNER RICHARD GERE, OSCAR® NOMINEE DON CHEADLE,
OSCAR® NOMINEE ETHAN HAWKE AND WESLEY SNIPES STAR

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Golden Globe® winner Richard Gere (Amelia, Internal Affairs), Oscar® nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash), Oscar® nominee Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead), and Wesley Snipes (Blade, New Jack City) star in Overture Films’ searing crime drama Brooklyn’s Finest, available on DVD and Blu-ray™ on Tuesday, July 6th, from Anchor Bay Entertainment (Pre-Book: June 3rd, 2010). From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Brooklyn’s Finest follows three conflicted New York City police officers, whose lives are dramatically transformed by their involvement in a massive drug operation over the course of one chaotic week.

Brooklyn’s Finest features a stellar supporting cast that includes Will Patton (The Fourth Kind), Lili Taylor (Public Enemies), Brian F. O’Byrne (The International) and Shannon Kane (Blood and Bone), with Ellen Barkin (Ocean’s Thirteen). SRP is $29.98 for the DVD and $39.98 for the Blu-ray™ edition.

WBAI Radio’s Mike Sargent called Brooklyn’s Finest “one of the best films of the last ten years.” Added NY1’s Neil Rosen, Brooklyn’s Finest is “gritty and gripping.” The New York Daily News’ Joe Neumaier said, “Brooklyn's Finest is a true police drama.”

In Brooklyn’s Finest, burned out veteran Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is just one week away from his pension and a fishing cabin in Connecticut. Narcotics officer Sal Procida (Ethan Hawke) has discovered there’s no line he won’t cross to provide a better life for his long-suffering wife and seven children. And Clarence “Tango” Butler (Don Cheadle) has been undercover so long his loyalties have started to shift from his fellow police officers to his prison buddy Caz (Wesley Snipes), one of Brooklyn’s most infamous drug dealers. With personal and work pressures bearing down on them, each man faces daily tests of judgment and honor in one of the world’s most difficult jobs.

When NYPD’s Operation Clean Up targets the notoriously drug-ridden BK housing project, all three officers find themselves swept away by the violence and corruption of Brooklyn’s gritty 65th Precinct and its most treacherous criminals. During seven fateful days, Eddie, Sal and Tango find themselves hurtling inextricably toward the same fatal crime scene and a shattering collision with destiny.


The film captures the volatile and deadly world of one of New York’s most dangerous precincts through the eyes of the men and women pledged to protect and serve, as they face the wrenching choices that make them Brooklyn’s Finest.

The Brooklyn’s Finest standard definition DVD and Blu-ray™ edition bonus features include audio commentary with director Antoine Fuqua; Chaos & Conflict: The Life of a New York Cop; Boyz N the Real Hood; An Eye for Detail: Director Featurette; From the MTA to the WGA: Writer Featurette; deleted scenes; and the theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray™ edition also includes the exclusive featurette, Three Cops and a Dealer: Character Profile, as well as a digital copy of the film that is iTunes compatible.

BROOKLYN’S FINEST DVD
Street Date: July 6th, 2010
Pre-book: June 3rd, 2010
Cat. #: OV21401
UPC: 0 1313 21401-9 3
Run Time: 132 minutes
Rating: Rated R
SRP: $29.98
Format: 2.40:1 / 16x9
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Bonus Features:
Audio Commentary with Director Antoine Fuqua
Chaos & Conflict: The Life Of A New York Cop
Boyz N The Real Hood
An Eye For Detail: Director Featurette
From The MTA To The WGA: Writer Featurette
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer

BROOKLYN’S FINEST BLU-RAY™
Street Date: July 6th, 2010
Pre-book: June 3rd, 2010
Cat. #: BD21404
UPC: 0 1313 21404-9 0
Run Time: 132 minutes
Rating: Rated R
SRP: $39.98
Format: 2.40:1 / 16x9
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Bonus Features:
Audio Commentary with Director Antoine Fuqua
Chaos & Conflict: The Life Of A New York Cop
Boyz N The Real Hood
An Eye For Detail: Director Featurette
From The MTA To The WGA: Writer Featurette
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer

Buy it at Amazon.com
DVD
Blu-Ray

Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes star in BROOKLYN'S FINEST, coming to DVD and Blu-ray July 6th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Journey to the outer reaches of terror in "PANDORUM" -- coming to DVD and Blu-ray January 19 from Anchor Bay Entertainment

DENNIS QUAID AND BEN FOSTER ARE ANYTHING BUT ALONE IN OVERTURE FILMS’ "PANDORUM"

On DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, January 19 From Anchor Bay Entertainment

BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster join Cam Gigandet, newcomer Antje Traue and martial arts phenom Cung Le in Pandorum, the terrifying sci-fi thriller from the creators of the Resident Evil film franchise, available on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, January 19th from Anchor Bay Entertainment (Pre-Book December 17th). Directed by Christian Alvart (Antibodies), Pandorum tells the story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly--and horrifically--realize they are not alone.

Featuring a supporting cast that includes Eddie Rouse, André Hennicke, and Norman Reedus, Pandorum is the latest collaborative effort by Robert Kulzer, Jeremy Bolt, and Paul W. S. Anderson, the producers behind the hugely successful Resident Evil movie franchise. SRP is $29.98 for the DVD and $39.98 for the Blu-ray edition.

Justine Elias of The Boston Globe said "Pandorum is a dark, disquieting dream worth watching out for." Added Fangoria’s Tony Timpone, "Pandorum is a fever dream mash-up of sci-fi, horror and mystery that will keep you guessing till the action-packed finish."

In Pandorum, two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton (Quaid; Vantage Point, The Express) staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower (Foster; 3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed--and the astronauts find their own survival is more precarious than they could ever have imagined.

The Pandorum DVD and Blu-ray bonus features include The World of Elysium: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette; What Happened to Nadia’s Team; Flight Team Training Video; Audio Commentary with Director Christian Alvart and Producer Jeremy Bolt; Deleted & Alternate Scenes; Still Galleries; Theatrical Trailer; and Sneak Peeks.

Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children’s entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray formats. It is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of the theatrical titles from Overture Films. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

Overture Films (www.overturefilms.net) develops, produces, acquires, and distributes feature length, theatrical motion pictures worldwide. The studio is a wholly owned unit of Starz Media, a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group NASDAQ: LCAPA, LCAPB), a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation. Its affiliated companies, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Starz Entertainment, make the films available domestically to viewers via home video, premium television, Internet and other outlets.

PANDORUM DVD
Street Date: January 19, 2010
Pre-book: December 17, 2009
Cat. #: DV80013
UPC: 0 1313 80013 9 9
Run Time: 108 minutes
Rating: R
SRP: $29.98
Format: 2:35:1 / 16x9
Audio: Dolby Surround 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Bonus Features:
The World of Elysium: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
What Happened to Nadia’s Team
Flight Team Training Video
Audio Commentary with Director Christian Alvart and Producer Jeremy Bolt
Deleted & Alternate Scenes
Still Galleries
Theatrical Trailer
Sneak Peeks

PANDORUM BLU-RAY
Street Date: January 19, 2010
Pre-book: December 17, 2009
Cat. #: N3066
UPC: 0 1313 83066 8 5
Run Time: 108 minutes
Rating: R
SRP: $39.98
Format: 2:35:1 / 16x9
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Bonus Features:
The World of Elysium: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
What Happened to Nadia’s Team
Flight Team Training Video
Audio Commentary with Director Christian Alvart and Producer Jeremy Bolt
Deleted & Alternate Scenes
Still Galleries
Theatrical Trailer
Sneak Peeks

Buy it at Amazon.com
DVD
Blu-Ray

Journey to the outer reaches of terror in "PANDORUM" -- coming to DVD and Blu-ray January 19 from Anchor Bay Entertainment