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vidlib@videolibrarian.com
 Updated June 23, 2009 |
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Waltz with Bashir  Sony, 90 min., in Hebrew w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray: $39.95, June 23 
Israeli director Ari Folman embarks on a gripping psychological journey into his own repressed memories—and the horrors of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—in this surreal animated documentary. The title refers to Bashir Gemayel, the Christian Phalangist leader whose 1982 assassination led to a full-scale Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the notorious massacre of Palestinian refugees by Phalangist forces at the Sabra and Shatila camps as Israeli soldiers stood guard at the perimeter. Former Israeli soldier Folman suppressed recollections of the campaign, but after witnessing snatches of his past in dreams and flashes (including one hallucinatory episode in which a soldier literally seemed to dance in the street while firing an automatic weapon at a sniper), he struggles to recreate his experiences through conversations with fellow soldiers and a psychiatrist. The film’s animation (which resembles rotoscoping to some extent) creates an austere but mesmerizing beauty that effectively captures a trip into the unconscious. And when Folman abruptly switches to brief live-action footage of the massacre’s aftermath, the effect is overwhelming. A powerful personal and political film, Waltz with Bashir delivers both a hefty emotional wallop and a potent anti-war message. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Ari Folman, 17 minutes of “Building the Scenes: Animatics” sequences, a 12-minute “Surreal Soldiers” making-of featurette, a Q&A with Folman (9 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a powerful animated documentary.] (F. Swietek)
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The Education of Charlie Banks  Anchor Bay, 101 min., R, DVD: $29.98, June 30 
Directed by Fred Durst, frontman of rap-metal band Limp Bizkit, The Education of Charlie Banks stars Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) in the title role as a smart and sensitive—if also somewhat nerdy—Ivy League college student in the early 1980s. Cruel fate throws Charlie back into close contact with his childhood bête noire: a charismatic, occasionally charming thug named Mick (Jason Ritter, son of the late John), who suddenly arrives unannounced in Charlie’s dorm room and proceeds to insinuate himself into his former victim’s life, penetrating his circle of privileged friends and wooing the hot rich girl (Eva Amurri, Susan Sarandon’s daughter) whom Charlie has a crush on. Erstwhile bully Mick—a troubled kid who grew up in a string of foster homes—is not entirely unlikable, and even though the film strains credulity regarding Mick’s ability to ingratiate himself so thoroughly with Charlie’s pals, there are echoes of The Great Gatsby here, especially when Charlie becomes more of a spectator than participant in his own life. Although a little more humor would have helped the too often flat dialogue, Durst shows some promise as a filmmaker. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Fred Durst and costar Jason Ritter, 24 minutes of “Conversations Behind The Education of Charlie Banks” cast and crew interviews, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven but interesting film.] (E. Hulse)
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The Pink Panther 2  Fox, 92 min., PG, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.99, June 23 
Mediocrity, thy name is Steve Martin. What happened to the smart and edgy comedian who made his bones in the ‘70s and delighted movie audiences in the ‘80s with his silly but compulsively watchable comedies? Martin’s first Pink Panther redo was bad enough, but director Harald Zwart’s The Pink Panther 2 is almost excruciating. The plot, and I use the term charitably, is set in motion by yet another theft of the titular diamond in the latest successful crime chalked up to a mysterious thief who calls himself the Tornado. Assigned to an international squad of detectives known as the Dream Team, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Martin) bumbles his way through the investigation in an effort to uncover the master criminal’s identity. English actress Emily Mortimer plays the Inspector’s love interest, while John Cleese assumes the role of Clouseau’s superior, Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Also on hand are Jean Reno, returning as Clouseau’s long-suffering partner, Andy Garcia and Alfred Molina (who head up the Dream Team), and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as a sexy Indian author who has chronicled the Tornado’s career. At one point, when Garcia’s character alludes to having found a key piece of evidence, Clouseau demands, “What is zis key piece of evidence?” Garcia holds up…a key. And that’s as good as it gets in this pathetic pussycat. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include “A Dream Team Like No Other” cast featurette (14 min.), a “Drama is Easy, Comedy is Dangerous” featurette on the film’s physical comedy (8 min.), a four-minute gag reel, and trailers. Bottom line: a so-so extras package for a disappointing comedy.] (E. Hulse)
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Taking Chance  HBO, 78 min., TV-PG, DVD: $19.98 
Made for and originally shown on HBO, Taking Chance tells the true story of Marine Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon), a Gulf War veteran reassigned to stateside duty. Upon learning that recent casualty Lance Corporal Chance Phelps once lived in his hometown, Strobl volunteers to escort the 19-year-old’s body to its final resting place. The three-day journey deeply affects Strobl, whose account of the trip—and perceptions of Chance’s family and community—become part of the national dialogue. Although the film’s anti-war sentiments eventually seep through, for the most part director Ross Katz’s Taking Chance is distinctly non-partisan, scrupulously avoiding taking cheap political shots, while treating the subject with respectful solemnity. Strobl isn’t so much a protagonist as an observer—it is through his eyes that we take in the reactions of Chance’s parents, friends, and relatives—but Bacon’s dignified, understated performance perfectly matches the film’s tone and it’s one of his best. Recommended. (E. Hulse)
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Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail Lionsgate, 103 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.95, June 16 
As a filmmaker, Tyler Perry has never been able to successfully blend the comedic and dramatic aspects of his stories, which hasn’t slowed the success of this one-man industry in the slightest: Madea Goes to Jail grossed over $40 million its first weekend in theaters. This latest Madea adventure opens in the aftermath of a high-speed freeway chase that puts Mabel “Madea” Simmons (Perry in drag, just one of the multiple roles he essays, á la Eddie Murphy) first in front of a judge, and then—despite the support of her eccentric but loyal relatives, the Browns—in the slammer. Meanwhile, ambitious Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (Derek Luke) raises eyebrows when he refuses to prosecute young prostitute and former drug addict Candace Washington (Keshia Knight Pulliam), whose case he palms off on his fiancée and fellow ADA Linda Holmes (Ion Overman). Candace ends up in jail, but Madea befriends the young woman and vows to help get her life back on track. Not surprisingly, Joshua had a relationship with Candace, and his failure to come clean with Linda provokes an overly dramatic confrontation later on. Perry invariably overplays his hand, lapsing into melodrama when a lighter touch would be more effective, while his comedy is far too broad to work in stories involving serious conflict. However, considering the popularity of the Madea films, this is still a strong optional purchase. (E. Hulse)
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The International Sony, 118 min., R, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray: $39.95, June 9 
Could there possibly be a better time for a film that casts bankers as villains whose perfidy extends to bringing down entire countries? Director Tom Tykwer hits the right populist notes in this convoluted but crowd-pleasing thriller that has a pleasantly retro feel more akin to ‘70s films like Three Days of the Condor than the current crop of Bond and Bourne romps. Clive Owen stars as English-born Interpol agent Louis Salinger, who teams with a Manhattan assistant D.A. (Naomi Watts) to bring down an international bank that supplements the usual investment income with profits from gunrunning and illegally obtained contracts granted by third-world dictators. Tykwer stages key sequences all over the world—thereby treating audiences to gorgeous location filming—but saves his set-piece for New York City’s Guggenheim Museum where—while trying to intercept the bank’s paid assassin (Brian F. O’Byrne in an interesting if underwritten characterization)—Salinger precipitates a 14-minute gun battle that totally perforates the Museum’s insides (replicated with a full-scale mockup built in Berlin). Unfortunately, this bravura sequence unfolds little more than halfway through the film, and nothing else in The International comes remotely close to equaling it for pulse-pounding excitement. Often lovely to look at, the somewhat cryptic The International is a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Tom Tykwer and writer Eric Singer, a half-hour “making-of” featurette, an extended scene (12 min.), a location segment on “Shooting at the Guggenheim” (7 min.), production featurettes on “The Architecture “ (6 min.) and “The Autostadt” (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “The International Experience” picture-in-picture track, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven yet often intriguing thriller.] (E. Hulse)
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Crossing Over Weinstein, 113 min., R, DVD: $19.98, June 9 
A shameless, self-conscious imitation of Crash, this Los Angeles-set drama makes a patently obvious stab at social significance by tackling the knotty problem of illegal immigration. But writer-director Wayne Kramer’s Crossing Over gives us stereotypical characters blurting clichéd dialogue, ultimately trivializing the subject matter and turning the film into an endurance contest. The big-name ensemble cast includes Harrison Ford (playing a sympathetic Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent), Ray Liotta (a decidedly unsympathetic Immigration applications adjudicator who uses his position to get fetching female foreign nationals into bed), Ashley Judd (the lawyer who decides to adopt an abandoned African child while representing a Bangladeshi teen threatened with deportation), and Sean Penn (well, no, actually, since he wisely insisted that his entire performance be cut from the finished film). Ultimately, Crossing Over gives the long arm of coincidence a stretch that even the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards would find taxing, while also taking a heavy-handed approach to the various issues surrounding immigration reform. Not recommended. (E. Hulse)
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Fired Up!  Sony, 90 min., PG-13 and unrated versions, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray: $39.95, June 9 
The “pitch” must have been something like this: “It’s Wedding Crashers meets Bring It On.” In filmmaker Will Gluck’s Fired Up!, Nicholas D’Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen costar as unconscionable teen lotharios who ditch the football team to join the cheerleading squad and spend a week at “cheer camp” with 300 high-school hotties. The hunky horndogs have their way with innumerable partners in PG-13 liaisons (the ubiquitous unrated DVD version is also available), but then come to believe in the sanctity of cheerleading and—even after being exposed as shameless seducers—help the feckless squad compete in the climactic cheer-off. Olsen, playing the more crass Nick Brady, elicits laughs with his surprisingly snappy pattern (which includes new sexual euphemisms such as “wrangling snooch”). D’Agosto, as the marginally more sensitive Shawn Colfax, is well matched with cute Sarah Roemer, playing the squad leader. And Molly Sims is on hand for the sexy older woman role as the sultry wife of head cheer coach John Michael Higgins. While technically this is just another in the long line of American Pie retreads, Fired Up! does boast some clever, genuinely funny throwaway lines…but not enough to make it any more than an optional purchase, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Will Gluck and costars Nicholas D’Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen, the 16-minute “making-of” featurette “This Is Not a Cheerleading Movie,” an eight-minute gag reel, a “Double Duty” featurette on cheer camp (7 min.), a “Press Junket-Hour 12 Footage” gag featurette (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the combination of the unrated and theatrical versions, a bonus digital copy of the unrated version, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so comedy.] (E. Hulse)
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Friday the 13th Warner, 97 min., R, DVD: $28.99, Blu-ray: $35.98, June 16 
Remaking old slasher films (and reviving franchises, where applicable) is all the rage lately. Earlier this year we saw My Bloody Valentine revamped in 3-D, and stopped by the Last House on the Left for another visit. Here, 29 years after the first teen horndogs were killed at Camp Crystal Lake, Jason Voorhees returns in director Marcus Nispel’s reworked Friday the 13th that adds little to the original mix beyond vastly improved special effects and a dollop of political correctness. As before, Jason is still slicing and dicing nubile young campers, but now he’s an equal-opportunity slayer, including African-American, Asian, and Hispanic teens among his latest victims. The 2009 Jason-bait crop features the usual assortment of pneumatic hotties and their feckless boyfriends, none make much of an impression or linger in the memory past the moment of his or her gruesome demise—with the exception of cute good girl Danielle Panabaker (Shark). The one novel aspect of the plot also makes the least sense: Jenna (Panabaker) and friends are joined by slightly older, more mature Clay (Jared Padalecki), who’s come to Crystal Lake in search of his sister, who was part of a group ambushed by Jason some months before. Amazingly, Jason has kept this girl—played by Amanda Righetti—alive and unmolested, a prisoner in his underground lair. Why? Who knows? But, more importantly, who cares? Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the 12-minute production featurette “The Rebirth of Jason Voorhees,” eight minutes of additional scenes, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the 23-minute featurette on “The 7 Best Kills,” a “Hacking Back/Slashing Forward” retrospective featurette (12 min.), a “Terror Trivia Track” with picture-in-picture behind-the-scenes footage, and the BD-Live function. Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a better Blu-ray extras package for a lesser horror remake.] (E. Hulse)
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Morning Light Walt Disney, 98 min., PG, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, June 16 
While many good filmmakers have turned niche-outdoor-sports documentaries into films of universal appeal—such as Warren Miller (Beyond the Edge), Bruce Brown (The Endless Summer), and his son Dana Brown (Step Into Liquid)—such is not the case with Mark Monroe and Paul Crowder’s Morning Light, co-produced by Roy E. Disney (nephew of Walt), covering the 2006 Transpacific Yacht Race featuring sailing sloops crossing the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii. The documentary follows the Morning Light sail team—a group of young men and women who undergo intensive training for half a year, before competing against sailors far more experienced than themselves. Unfortunately, while this underdog theme should be interesting, Morning Light feels like MTV’s The Real World sprinkled with arcane racing terminology. The first half of the film focuses on the rivalries between 20 people vying for 15 slots on the team (with all of the usual melodrama), while the second documents the race itself. If you don’t speak sailing/racing jargon, most of the conversations between teammates will mean very little, and the impenetrable editing style essentially reduces the action to a meaningless blur. Instead of bringing the viewer into a potentially interesting subject, Morning Light makes you feel like you’re zoned out watching an ESPN special. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the 48-minute “Making the Cut” ESPN-aired special, and a “Stories from the Sea” featurette hosted by Jason Earles (28 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing sports doc.] (T. Keogh)
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