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Reviews for DVD Releases

Robin Hood
Jack Rico
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2010/09/21 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Robin Hood

09.21.2010 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content.
Release Date: 2010-05-14
Starring: Brian Helgeland
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.robinhoodthemovie.com/

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The new adaptation of Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett hits the big screen after much anticipation and hype. Is this the definitive version to ever be done by Hollywood? Not by far, but it is a noble intent. This adaptation is a prequel, that is, an account of the origins of the green hero before he stole from the rich and helped the poor. The film has some fine moments but also lacks of a fresh new approach to an old story.

The plot begins with the death of King Richard of England (Danny Huston) and Robin Longstride (Crowe) traveling to Nottingham, a city that suffers from corruption and oppressive taxes from the sheriff, to start a new life. There, Robin falls in love with the widow Lady Marion (Blanchette), meets Friar Tuck (Mark Addy) and fights in the war against the French.

To be fair, I found the film to be entertaining and visually absorbing, but due to weak development of the story and shortcomings of some secondary characters, there were moments of confusion in several of its sequences. For example, for most of the film, I could not distinguish who were the British or the French, I couldn’t understand the dialogue very well at first due to the rough and the villains motives weren’t fleshed out properly.

However, if you’re looking to entertain yourself, any imperfections the film might have are put aside for the high level entertainment value. I particularly left satisfied enough to recommend it for a few reasons: one because Crowe and Blanchette are tremendous actors, second because the director Ridley Scott captured beautiful scenes, and third, the locations and details of the movie transport you to back to that period. Robin Hood is worth the watch.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Jack Rico
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2010/09/15 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

09.15.2010 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.
Release Date: 2010-05-28
Starring: Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/princeofpersia/

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Movies based on videogames are usually not very successful in Hollywood as in the case of Max Payne, Street Fighter and Hitman recently. But ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time‘ is perhaps one of the best in the genre and that’s not necessarily a compliment.

The film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Artenton and directed by Mike Newell (Love in the Time of Cholera), follows an adventurous prince who joins a rival princess to stop an evil ruler whose plan to unleash a sandstorm could destroy the world.

 

Although the film is visually stunning and at times entertaining, the film tends to be very childish and not absorbent enough to retain the interest of adults. However, the infantile humor and cheezy romance is perfect for teenage audiences.

Letters to Juliet
Jack Rico
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2010/09/15 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Letters to Juliet

09.15.2010 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: PG for brief rude behavior, some language and incidental smoking.
Release Date: 2010-05-14
Starring: Jose Rivera
Director(s):
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.letterstojuliet-movie.com/

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Men: ‘Letters to Juliet’ is a film with such pipe dream romance that you can’t help but barf more than once. Mexican heartthrob Gael Garcia Bernal co-stars and Puerto Rican Jose Rivera writes this cheesy and predictable film very hard for any straight man to like.

Women: You’ll love, love, love ‘Letters to Juliet’ because you’ll be swept away in the glittering panoramas, the unconditional search for love and the poppy soundtrack that your local top 40 station plays. Moreover, the true reason you’ll love this film is because men like Charlie (Christopher Egan) will fight for your love even though you’ll push men like this away all the time in real life.

The plot of ‘Letters to Juliet’ is interesting. An American girl (Amanda Seyfried) on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered “letter to Juliet” — one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover’s Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by a the “secretaries of Juliet” — and she embarks on a quest to find the lovers referenced in the letter.

When it comes to romantic movies, I have adopted a philosophy. All you really need to develop a love story, successfully, is that the characters are well developed, the actors playing the leads display a degree of sexual chemistry, and that their relationship is portrayed on the screen naturally. Details of the plot are relatively irrelevant as all romance films follow a predictable path. Unfortunately, lately, romantic movies have become less and less convincing, with stars having higher priority than the narrative and interesting supporting characters never being fully fleshed out. Unfortunately, ‘Letters to Juliet “does not apply my formula to the ‘letter’, thus, its virtues are few. Its core narrative is more given to the sensibilities of young women and tweeny girls.

Gael Garcia Bernal plays Victor, a chef whose top priority in life is to open his own Italian restaurant in New York. Gael plays one the romantic interests to Amanda Seyfried. For Gael to be acting in this film, it had to be a hefty paycheck to convince him. He derides these types of films and more likely did it to make an indie back home in Mexico.

‘Letters to Juliet’ is for women who are looking for their prince charming or are not happy in their own relationship. If you female friend are in this situation, you’re gonna love, love, love this film.

Solitary Man
Jack Rico
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2010/09/09 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Solitary Man

09.9.2010 | By |

Rating: 4.0

Rated: R for language and some sexual content.
Release Date: 2010-05-21
Starring: Brian Koppelman
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.solitarymanmovie.com/

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The veteran actor Michael Douglas takes heads the indie route to star in one of my favorite films of 2010 – Solitary Man. The film reminds me of Ben Stiller’s ‘Greenberg‘, about a man who is trying to find meaning in life, except that Douglas is far better and much more appealing.

The plot, infused with comic moments tells the story of Ben Kalman (Douglas), a renown businessman who owns a chain of car dealerships, whose career and marriage are being ruined by his constant indiscretions both professionally and personally. Will he be able to rescue himself from the abyss into which it is located? The story also weaves questions about death and the fragility of the human psyche in a very entertaining way.

How many times have you heard of people being in situations where they has lost everything or about to lose everything, but refuse to see the gravity of the situation; a person who never learns from his mistakes, who prefers to apologize before asking permission first. This is one of Douglas’ best performances in years. It’s full of a rogue charisma that he has perfected throughout his career. One of the salient features of Douglas is his charm and outside of Gekko, he’s never played a role like this one.

Michael is accompanied by a cast of heavyweights such as Susan Sarandon, Mary Louise Parker, Danny Devito and Jesse Eisenberg. It is a pleasure to see this cast work together in this genuine, witty and heartfelt film about the ups and downs of a man. I think we all know people like Kalman – or maybe one might look in the mirror and see none other than… Ben Kalman himself.

Marmaduke
Jack Rico
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2010/09/02 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Marmaduke

09.2.2010 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: PG for some rude humor and language.
Release Date: 2010-06-04
Starring: Tim Rasmussen & Vince Di Meglio
Director(s):
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Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.themarmadukemovie.com/

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When I was a kid I used to watch ‘Marmaduke’ on Saturday morning cartoons. This film adaptation is not as entertaining as the former, but nevertheless kids should have a frolicking time with it. Marmaduke is not meant to entertain adults, it’s for children who are 7-10 years old or even tweens at 12-14. So any grown men and women who go to see this film need to understand that the gags and dance moves from these dogs are meant for infants. If you enjoy kids movies, more power to you.

The plot. A suburban family moves to a new neighborhood with their large yet lovable Great Dane, who has a tendency to wreak havoc in his own oblivious way.

This is one of those few cat and dog movies where humans take a back seat to them. I would say it is 80% animals 20% humans. There is hardly any acting from real people in this film, which is why you can’t really knock the acting because there barely is any. Most of the work comes from the voices of Owen Wilson, Emma Stone, George Lopez and Kiefer Sutherland. I thought Owen fit the personality of the star dog perfectly. Lopez I think is always hilarious with the stereotypical Mexican accent as Marmaduke’s cat friend.

The situational comedy in the movie is modestly fun and you can tell director Tom Dey (“Failure to Launch”) makes something of an effort to make it likable. Overall, Marmaduke is what it is – a project using a familiar American brand name to make some money from it. Did it work? Not enough for me to tell you to run to the theater to see it. This is definitely a DVD property.

The Back-Up Plan
Jack Rico
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2010/08/24 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

The Back-Up Plan

08.24.2010 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13 for sexual content including references, some crude material and language.
Release Date: 2010-04-23
Starring: Kate Angelo
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.theback-upplan.com/

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Puerto Rican actress Jennifer Lopez makes her long awaited comeback to the big screen in the New York romantic comedy ‘The Back Up Plan’. Lopez is back to form in what is, in my opinion, a charming and pleasant cinematic experience. Any thoughts on Lopez being washed up will have to wait since she can still carry a film on charm alone even with a modest B list cast. The movie possesses appeal, mostly from its star, but also from its relevant and topical plotline.

Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has been on hundreds of dates looking to find a prince charming whom she can fulfill her life long dream of starting a family with. Regrettably, she discerns her time has past and resorts to what she feels is her ‘back up plan’ – artificial insemination. As fate must have it, Zoe meets the man of her dreams (Alex O’Loughlin) on the same day she submitted herself to the procedure. Will she tell her shining prince that she’s pregnant with some unknown man’s sperm? Will he feel he has to father kids that aren’t his own? How will it all end for Zoe?

Jennifer Lopez’s movie career spiraled down a bit when El Cantante was released in 2006 (the film only generated 7.6 million dollars). For those who have followed her career since Money Train we have noticed her strengths lie in the romantic comedy genre and even perhaps in action films. When she naturally decides to branch out into more demanding genres such as drama, her deficiencies as an actress are magnified. I disagree with people who say she isn’t a good actress. She is not an Oscar caliber actress, but she is a good one. You might think it’s easy to play cutesy and adorable in a movie. But she makes it look that easy. That’s her gift. I compare her to Sandra Bullock and put her in that range set. You never know Jennifer Lopez might have one Oscar win in her.

 

Nevertheless, most women will love this film, at least the ones that are suckers for romance. Men will barf at it because Alex O’Loughlin, the male lead, portrays a character at the end of the film of a man that doesn’t seem to exist in real life. The implausible fantasy is a bit too much to bear. It is a fantasy film full of romance though, full of hope and obviously a feel good sentiment. That is what you’ll be buying for the price of a movie ticket, and that is not bad. I liked it, it made me like that world a bit better than ours, even if it’s just for an hour and a half.

 

To follow Jack Rico’s film reviews check him out on Twitter at @jackricofficial

Survival of the Dead
Jack Rico
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2010/08/23 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Survival of the Dead

08.23.2010 | By |

Rating: 2.0

Rated: R for strong zombie violence/gore, language and brief sexuality.
Release Date: 2010-05-28
Starring: George Romero
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://magnetreleasing.com/survivalofthedead/

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George A. Romero, known as ‘the godfather’ of zombie movies, is releasing his new deadhead movie called ‘Survival of the Dead’ about two families who live in an island plagued by zombies.

 

The story centers on an island in the middle coast of North America where dead people are beginning to rise from their graves to eat their own offspring. The leaders of the two families on the island then quarrel about how to go about their strange situation… do they kill their deceased relatives, or would it be better to try and find a cure that could return them to a normal life. Many decisions are explored in this film.

 

If you’re going to see this film to entertain and frighten yourself, you will be very disappointed. Romero has long said he does make these films to scare his audience, rather he uses the horror genre to communicate a social and political message through the stories. Survival of the Dead is more given to devotees of the cult films of Romero and not so much to new audiences. Stay away.

City Island
Jack Rico
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2010/08/23 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

City Island

08.23.2010 | By |

Rating: 4.0

Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, smoking and language.
Release Date: 2010-03-19
Starring: Raymond De Felitta
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.cityislandmovie.com/

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‘City Island’ is one of the more charming comedies to come out in a very long time and thus far this 2010. It is a magnetically crafted indie comedy that provides jokes worth laughing at and charming characters worth liking. It’s a feel-good movie that is sure to satisfy your every need at the movies. You really wont’ regret it.

Prison guard Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a prison guard, but has one secret no one knows about. A closet actor, he lies to his lovely wife, Joyce (Julianna Margulies), about going to poker games when he’s really traveling into the city to attend an acting class presided over by the Michael Malakov (Alan Arkin). Joyce, recognizing her husband isn’t being truthful, suspects he’s having an affair. But Vince has an even bigger secret: a newly paroled prisoner (Steven Strait) who has been offered lodging on his property, isn’t just some random ex-con; he’s Vince’s son. No one knows this except Vince and Molly (Emily Mortimer), his partner at the acting class. Vince isn’t the only one with secrets. His son, Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller), has a fetish for fat women. His daughter, Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido), works as a stripper.

Cuban actor Andy Garcia dishes out some of his best comedic moments here and it is truly enjoyable to watch. He has not been a part of many talked about movies the last few years, but just like Robert De Niro in ‘Everybody’s Fine,’ Garcia has once again found his form. His timing, delivery, his expressions, the nuances and reactions, it all works here. The rest of the cast are wonderfully charming. They manage to compliment Garcia without a problem.

Are there any problems with the film? Perhaps, but they’re so minimal that you won’t notice them. I barely did. City Island is a fantastic, pleasurable experience, one that I recommend highly!

Furry Vengeance
Karen Posada
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2010/08/17 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Furry Vengeance

08.17.2010 | By |

Rating: 1.0

Rated: PG for some rude humor, mild language and brief smoking.
Release Date: 2010-04-30
Starring: Michael Carnes, Josh Gilbert
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.furryvengeance-movie.com/

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The family film, Furry Vengeance, lacks a lot of imagination, it seems to have gotten most of its ideas from other family films such as Dr. Dolittle and Evan Almighty. The few laughs it achieves out of the audience (and I mean children) are based on ridiculous physical humor that at some point is more distasteful than funny. The good thing about the film is the messages it carries: to conserve our forests, prevent the destruction of them to build housing and the need to respect animal’s rights and homes. Unfortunately, these are barely important points of the movie; it’s more of a story of man vs. wild carried out by nature’s pranks against the protagonist.

Dan Sanders  (Brendan Fraser) is a real estate developer who is sent to take down a forest and build a private community called “Rocky Springs”. His family Tammy (Brooke Shields) and Tyler (Matt Prokop) miss the noisy city where they used to live, Chicago. His wife tries to be supportive and make the best of their new home, but their teenage son hates having been taken away from his friends and being in the middle of a forest where there is nothing to do. Dan tries everything to please his boss (Ken Jeong) and believes the supposed year they are to live in the forest while they build the community will bring them closer to nature and that it would fly by, but he’s wrong. The animals that live in the forest soon realize what is to become of their home and begin plotting against Dan by pranking him and making his life miserable. Dan is shun by his family when he starts acting crazy, saying the animals are pranking him and also once they realize what the company he works for is to do to this natural haven.

If the film would have focused on the importance of protecting our forest and keeping family as a priority, this at least would have given it some substance. There really isn’t much to take from this film that would even be of much entertaining value for anyone. Fraser as well as Brooks have played these same roles many times, the one of the goof and the patient wife. As a cartoon this movie might have been more successful. There’s nothing new that this movie has to offer nor in the story line or characters. This is not the worse movie i’ve seen but it definitely makes the list.

The Last Song
Jack Rico
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2010/08/17 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

The Last Song

08.17.2010 | By |

Rating: 2.0

Rated: PG for thematic material, some violence, sensuality and mild language.
Release Date: 2010-04-02
Starring: Nicholas Sparks & Jeff Van Wie
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://touchstone.movies.go.com/thelastsong/

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Of his six titles sent to the big screen, ‘The Last Song’ is Nicholas Sparks worst film. Most of the drawbacks hinge on Miley Cyrus’ acting. She is officially on my list for a 2011 Razzie for worst actress. But perhaps the biggest problem with the film is the calculated, manipulative script that delivers phony, inorganic moments that don’t seem plausible enough for any teenager or adult to believe. It has some feel good moments, but not enough to deserve praise. This is definitely not a date movie adults will enjoy, but rather a transitional primer young fans of Cyrus will be expecting from her in the near future.

‘The Last Song’ centers on a rebellious girl (Miley Cyrus) who is sent to a Southern beach town with her brother (Bobby Coleman) for the summer to stay with her father (Greg Kinnear). Through their mutual love of music, the estranged duo learn to reconnect, but in typical Sparks fashion, some sort of calamity strikes.

I’ve seen Miley’s work on TV and I’ve seen her in concert. Her work seemed to embody the desires and ambitions of her contemporaries and it fit perfectly well within those parameters, but now her and her team of agents and managers are treading treacherous territory to put her in the same dramatic genre where the likes of Carey Mulligan and Anne Hathaway feast on. She isn’t ready to act in these roles that demand so much of her limited emotional range. As a result, the scenes where she has to push and drive the emotional guts of the film fall flat. The rest of the cast do well, but Kinnear and Coleman are the highlights. Kelly Preston was probably the most irrelevant character in the film, she was never around.

Nicholas Sparks is a co-screenwriter here and once again we see the trail of sentimental tragedy he has left in his way. His recent ‘Dear John’ from last month, doesn’t help either, if it hadn’t been for actor Richard Jenkins’ gravitas and acting credibility, it could have been a low point for all involved.

Bottomline, you can find this schmaltz for free on Lifetime or Oprah, don’t pay to see it here.

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