This Week in DVD: Be Kind Rewind, Fool’s Gold, Roscoe Jenkins and More
This Week in DVD is a new column on compiling all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry’s.
BE KIND REWIND
As disappointed as I was personally by Be Kind Rewind, the latest film from director Michel Gondry (of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fame), there’s no denying that the film’s garnered a positive response amongst both audiences and critics, and thus, it would be unfair of me to label it under “The Bad.” The premise is undeniably terrific: two video store employees find their tapes completely erased and decide to resolve the problem by shooting their own zero-budget remakes. If nothing else, I’m glad this film was made because it led to the wondrous filmmaking development known as “sweding,” which has led to such hilarious reworkings of classics as Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: The only extra offered here is a featurette that essentially acts as a tribute to the town where the film was set. Additionally, there’s been one scene added to the film for the DVD, dubbed “Michel Gondry’s Added Train Scene.” It’s unfortunate that not even the full uncut “sweded” films have been made available, which I’m sure many fans would have loved to see.
$17.99
$17.99
$19.99
$17.99
UNDER THE SAME MOON
For those who enjoy warm, heartfelt dramas and don’t mind having to read subtitles, this intimate tale exploring illegal immigration from the perspective of a mother and young boy attempting to reunite across the Mexican/US Border is definitely worthy of a rental. Like so many dramas of its kind, it’s said to be sentimental and manipulative, but those things can be overlooked in favor of the solid lead performances and touching storytelling.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: An audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a couple making-of featurettes.
$19.99
$19.99
$19.99
N/A
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Bonus Disc
Where? Target
CALIFORNICATION (SEASON 1)
Showtime’s crude, edgy sitcom is gathering all 12 episodes of its first season and heading to DVD. The show stars David Duchovny as a drug-sex-and-booze-loving LA writer who hates his job and finds himself at a loss trying to handle his relationship with his daughter and ex-girlfriend. The critical response so far has been mostly positive, claiming that the show is brisk, charmingly crass, and that it has just enough wit to sustain it.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Nothing, unless you count Showtime’s default inclusion of two other TV show episodes (the ones here being from Dexter and The Tudors).
$26.99
$29.99
$27.99
N/A
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Bonus Disc
Where? Target
FOOL’S GOLD
Kate Hudson may be attractive, but she’s got nothing on Jessica Alba, and seeing as how Alba was the only good thing about Into the Blue, which Fool’s Gold is basically identical to, that doesn’t bode well for the film’s quality. Add to that an utter lack of chemistry among its lead stars and gags that only qualify as comedy in the loosest sense of the word, and you have yourself one hell of a forgettable 90 minutes.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: A gag reel and a featurette detailing the repairing of McConaughey and Hudson.
$16.99
$16.99
$13.99
$13.99
WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS
With a 3.2 out of 10 ranking on IMDB as of writing this, it’s hard to tell whether Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is actually even worse the trailers indicated or there’s just some major backlash over African American-based comedies following the increased popularity of Tyler Perry films. Whatever the case, I think we can be rest assured that there’s no harm in skipping yet another Martin Lawrence film, because the prospect of it being stomach-churningly awful continues to remain several times more likely than it being halfway decent.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: A commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, a making-of, and reflections from the cast on their own experiences returning home after becoming a success.
$17.99
$16.99
$13.99
$13.99
MY MOM’S NEW BOYFRIEND
In case you were wondering what happened to that terrible-looking Antonio Banderas/Meg Ryan action-romantic-comedy about an up-and-coming FBI agent who’s given the task of finding out if his mom’s boyfriend is a prominent gang leader, the answer lies on DVD, where it’s been dumped without even the slightest attempt at making it look like anything beyond the turd it’s guaranteed to be. For the unsuspecting, the high profile cast alone will probably convince people to give it a rent, but hopefully hearing the film’s laughably silly premise will encourage people to look elsewhere.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Deleted scenes and a making-of featurette.
N/A
$19.99
$19.99
$19.99
Also available this week…
Chaos Theory – Rails & Ties – Just Add Water – Jericho (Season 2) – Super High Me – The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition) – ER (Season 9) – Burn Notice (Season 1) – So I Married an Axe Murderer (Special Edition) – Caramel
Exclusive: Free $5 gift card with purchase of both The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Edition) and The Jungle Book 2 (Special Edition).
Exclusive: Free e-movie cash (up to $7.50) to see Hancock when you buy any of the following $9.99 and $14.99 DVDs.
$9.99 – Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, The Fifth Element, Stand By Me, Snatch, Underworld, Underworld: Evolution
$14.99 – Men in Black II, Gridiron Gang, Ghost Rider
$14.99 – Weeds (Season 1), Weeds (Season 2)
$19.99 – Dexter (Season 1), The Tudors (Season 1)
$27.99 – Lost (Season 3), Desperate Housewives (Season 3)
Exclusive: Free e-movie cash (up to $7.50) to see Hancock when you buy Men in Black on Blu-ray.
$4.99 – Black Hawk Down, A Knight’s Tale, A History of Violence, Capote, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Tears of the Sun, Domino, Running Scared, The Untouchables, Syriana, Collateral, Patriot Games, Minority Report, Sleepers, Snatch, and more…
$6.99 – Inside Man, The 40 Year Old Virgin (Unrated), Bruce Almighty, The Jerk (26th Anniversary Edition), Assault on Precinct 13, Two for the Money, Bring it On, Waist Deep, and more..
Buy one, get one free ($14.99) – Memento (Limited Edition), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Midnight Express (20 Anniversary Edition), Curse of the Golden Flower, The Da Vinci Code (2-Disc Special Edition), Casino Royale (2-Disc Special Edition), The Fifth Element, Rocky Balboa, Vacancy, and more…
$4.99 – Matchstick Men, Insomnia, Firewall, The Dukes of Hazzard
$5.99 – Monster’s Ball, The Running Man (Special Edition), House of 1000 Corpses
Jim Henson Predicts The Future
Jim Henson Predicts The Future
The Pitch: In this 1982 interview, Jim Henson talks about how High Definition Video is the Future of both Filmmaking and Cable Television, and how we’ll eventually have widescreen televisions in our homes.
Madonna’s Directorial Debut
Madonna’s Directorial Debut
With the film festival season raging on, one Material Girl stood head and shoulders above the rest in Berlin on Wednesday - Madonna.
The “Like a Virgin” singer is enjoying the premiere her new movie “Filth and Wisdom” at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, and it has been her most positive foray into film yet.
During an interview, Madge told press, “I have always been inspired by the films of Godard, Visconti, Pasolini and Fellini and hope that I may one day make something that comes close to their genius.”
In the liner notes to “Filth and Wisdom” Madonna wrote, “I have always admired the art of filmmaking and the ability to tell a good story. After almost three decades of being in front of a camera, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. ‘Filth and Wisdom’ was essentially my way of putting myself through film school.”
Norton Finds Reports of Hulk Feud Incredible
Perhaps The Hulk's troubles aren't so massive after all. Edward Norton, star of the would-be summer blockbuster The Incredible Hulk, is looking to refute the rampant rumors that a disagreement over the film's final cut has pitted him and director Louis Leterrier against Marvel Entertainment.
"Every good movie gets forged through collaboration, and different ideas among people who are all committed and respect the validity of each other's opinions is the heart of filmmaking," the Oscar-nominated actor said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly Wednesday.
"Regrettably, our healthy process, which is and should be a private matter, was misrepresented publicly as a 'dispute,' seized on by people looking for a good story and has been distorted to such a degree that it risks distracting from the film itself, which Marvel, Universal and I refuse to let happen."
In recent weeks, word had gotten out that Marvel, wanting a more wham-bam commercial cut, objected to Leterrier's more detailed, two hour-plus version of the filma creative difference that had Norton seeing red, if not exactly turning green.
Leterrier recently told EW he regretted that Norton and Marvel "didn't come to an agreement where we could've all worked together."
''Everyone was exhausted; it was like a little burst,'' the French director, who's perhaps best known for helming the Transporter films, said. '''I'm angry with you!' 'No, I'm angry with you!' And me in the center saying 'Boys, calm down.' It didn't come to blows. It was just a remark here and there.''
Then it "became public," he said, adding that it was the press that "kept Edward and Marvel from talking to each other. [The purported feud] was nothing and then it became something big."
For his part, Norton maintains the tale of disquiet on the set has been blown way out of proportion.
"In every phase of production, including the editing, working with Louis Leterrier has been wonderful," his statement continued. "I've never had a better partner, and the collaboration with all the rest of the creative team has been terrific…
"It has always been my firm conviction that films should speak for themselves and that knowing too much about how they are made diminishes the magic of watching them. All of us believe The Incredible Hulk will excite old fans and create new ones and be a huge hit…Our focus has always been to deliver the Hulk that people have been waiting for and keep the worldwide love affair with the big green guy going strong.''
The production was a risky venture to begin with, considering Ang Lee's adaptation of the saga featuring the easily excitable Dr. Bruce Bannerthe simply titled Hulkwas a flop as far as comics-inspired action extravaganzas are concerned, grossing only $132 million domestically.
But thanks to Marvel Comics' eventual decision to start breathing big-screen life into its own classic characters with its own studio shingle, the misunderstood green guy has another chance to find a cure for what ails him.
Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk, more a do-over than sequel to the 2003 film, begins with Norton's Banner hiding out in South America, where he's searching for an antidote to the gamma ray exposure that left him prone to what you might call rather intense fits of rage.
Liv Tyler, William Hurt and Tim Roth also star as love interest Betty Ross, Gen. Thaddeus Ross and villain Emil Blonsky, respectively. The film storms into wide release June 13.
Norton's characterization of the production's troubles as overblown should come as a relief to Hulk fans, who are hoping this film succeeds where its predecessor failed, although opinions are mixed as far as which running time would have been the better choice.
"[Lord of the Ring] sequels were sequels to hit movies. The first one was long and it worked. Godfather was long and it worked and was a hit. So the sequels were long too," wrote user DBZ2cool on one of the SuperheroHype.com boards devoted to the new film.
"Same cannot be said about hulk [sic]. hulk was [a] long, boring and really depressing movie."
Meanwhile, Bannerless Hulk wrote that the decision by Marvel to "axe character development in favor of commercial vitality runs squarely against their stated intent to do things the way [the very well-received] Batman Begins did. I don't see how 1:45 or less pulls off Batman Begins otherwise.
"Alas, the negative publicity just keeps trucking along. I can almost hear the general public laughing at the core fans, as we hope against all hope that the movie actually does well."