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..Gary
Dretzka
..Noah
Forrest
..Leonard
Klady
..David
Poland
..Douglas
Pratt
..Ray
Pride
..Kim
Voynar
..Michael
Wilmington
..9 Trailer & Images ..MCN Weekend
9: Blu-Ray
When it comes to the Apocalypse, I subscribe to the theory that the only survivors will be cockroaches and the employees of bill-collection agencies. It's unlikely any descendant of Raggedy Ann and Andy could withstand the nuclear inferno and muster the strength necessary to breathe new life into a society hell bent on mass suicide. That said, however, I don't begrudge any filmmaker from advancing such a scenario. Animator Shane Acker adapted the post-apocalyptic fairy tale, 9, from his Oscar-nominated 2005 short film of the same title. It is not to be confused with the unfortunate holiday musical, Nine; the sci-fi thriller, District 9; or the Beatles' Revolution 9. Here, a puppet-droid with the number, 9, stenciled on his burlap back, is reanimated in the wake of a cataclysmic event. As is the cinematic custom, the landscape is littered with Rust Belt machinery and other industrial-era detritus. As he wanders this junk yard of time, 9 stumbles across fellow survivors of the puppet race and predatory machines programmed to exterminate them. A community of droids welcomes 9 to their ruined cathedral, even if the interloper's presence threatens the reign of its possessive and overly cautious leader, 1. The metaphysical truth behind the droids' - and, one is allowed to believe, humanity's -- continued existence lies embedded in the key to a mechanical device. In this, his first feature, Acker's work was completed under the watchful eyes of Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, whose respective visions informed much of the film's look. The droids' voices were provided by Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover and Martin Landau. The Blu-ray package adds the picture-in-picture U-Control Experience, which provides viewers with a running account of the technical processes guiding the production; a separate audio commentary, with Acker and various designers; the original 9 short film; a behind-the-scenes featurette, which traces the journey from animated short to feature film; Acker's guided tour of the production facilities; deleted scenes; a pair of conceptual pieces; and BD-Live Functionality.Jennifer's Body: Blu-Ray
For this year's other overhyped teen-vampire thriller, stripper-turned-screenwriter Diablo Cody delivered the cinematic equivalent of a $20 lap dance: all tease and no payoff. If it weren't for the highly promoted lesbian kiss between Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer's Body might have opened without a whole lot of fanfare and, just as quickly, disappeared into the video void. Instead, Fox was accorded a guest-hosting gig on Saturday Night Live and a dozen slobbering cameos on Entertainment Tonight. Fox plays Jennifer, a high school temptress who gives herself up to a local rock band, fronted by a satanic poser (Adam Brody). Before long, Jennifer's spewing spiky black goo on the kitchen floor of her best friend, Needy, and chomping on the appendages of her male suitors. Obviously, someone must put an end to this carnal chaos, and who better than the virginal blond, Needy (the far more appealing, Seyfried). Apparently, the producers thought Jennifer's Body could serve as a placeholder until the arrival of New Moon, two months later. Karyn Kusama, who also directed Girlfight and Aeon Flux, deserves none of the blame for the anemic screenplay or counterproductive marketing campaign. In addition to an extended director's-cut edition, the Blu-ray adds deleted scenes and a gag reel; a making-of featurette; video diaries; a couple of wet kisses blown in the direction of Megan Fox; and, from the Fox Movie Channel, Life After Film School' with Diablo Cody.The Marine 2
The latest action-thriller from WWE Films stars wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr. - yes, son of the Million Dollar Man - as a Force Recon marine whose R&R at a posh Phuket Island resort is interrupted by an invasion of money-grubbing insurgents. Their greatest mistake was spoiling the grand-opening ceremony being staged by the marine's gorgeous blond wife (Aussie Lara Cox), who handles publicity for a vile entrepreneur and author of self-help books. Unlike his wife, Joe Linwood avoids being taken hostage by the rebels. Naturally, this opens the door to a one-man, take-no-prisoners rescue mission. No surprise there, really. What allows The Marine 2 -- and several other WWE-produced thrillers I've seen recently -- to rise above the vast majority of similar straight-to-video fare is the attention paid to the fight scenes, which are exponentially more believable than those staged in the ring. Here, Linwood must adapt his martial-arts skills to those of highly specialized Muay Thai practitioners, and, while the fate of the hostages is never in doubt, Linwood absorbs as much punishment as he delivers. In the first installment of the Marine franchise, wrestler John Cena was entrusted with rescuing his wife, that time against diamond thieves in South Carolina. He would go on to star in the studio's 12 Rounds. The extras on Marine 2 include a couple of deleted scenes and several making-of featurettes, including a pair describing the fight training.
Family Guy Presents: Something Something Dark Side
Musicals have never fared very well on broadcast TV. Stephen Bochco laid one of the biggest eggs in TV history with the beyond-quirky, Cop Rock. David E. Kelley found interesting ways to integrate musical numbers into Ally McBeal and Boston Public, but never to the detriment of the narrative. In High School Musical, subscribers to cable's Disney Channel demonstrated there was an audience for a series in which well crafted music-and-dance numbers were as essential as what happened around them. Fox knew that Glee wouldn't be an easy sell with its maturing audience base, so it took the unusual step of previewing the show with a full-length pilot, months before it would launch in series form. Buzz and anticipation grew over the summer hiatus. Instead of merely aping High School Musical, Glee ratcheted up the concept by introducing elements of teen angst beyond the usual boyfriend-girlfriend-SAT stuff. This included an unabashedly gay character, as well as a storyline involving a pregnancy in which the father's identity always was in doubt. The cool kids were portrayed as being venal, intolerant and moronic. Moreover, the many song-and-dance numbers were as absorbing as anything in the movie versions of Chicago, Chorus Line and Dreamgirls. The new set includes the director's-cut version of the pilot, as well as a dozen shows from the first season. The special features include audition tapes and casting sessions, Deconstructing Glee With Ryan Murphy and Dance Boot Camp.
Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Darkside the animated characters of Seth MacFarlane's popular Fox series re-animate The Empire Strikes Back, with Stewie playing Darth Vader, Chris as Luke Skywalker, Lois as Princess Leia and Peter as Han Solo. Be aware that Something, Something may not be as acceptable to general audiences as the TV series. The Blu-ray is the preferred format here. It includes commentary, deleted scenes, a featurette, The Darkside of Poster Art, animatics and pop-up video.Who Does She Think She Is?
The title of Pamela Tanner Boll's enlightening 2008 documentary, Who Does She Think She Is?, asks a question traditionally reserved for women who have the temerity to want both a career and family. Frankly, the economy being what it is, I think conservative women demand advance that rhetorical query more often than men, but what do I know? The women we meet in Boll's film are artists and mothers. Their dilemma mirrors that of women pursuing careers in business and academics. Apparently, the film struck a nerve with women during its limited run and it's been released in a box set designed for group viewings and workshops. The DVD comes with additional material and a trailer; a poster; 10 invitation postcards; a companion guide; discussion cards; and instructions on how to host a party.
Be Mine
Writer-director Jennifer Phang's Half-Life not only is exactly the kind of ambitious, highly personal film that would have a difficult time surviving outside the festival circuit, but it also would get lost on the shelves of most video stores. Released by Wolfe Video, the natural tendency would be to include it among the gay-lesbian titles. The predominantly Asia-American cast could land it in that DVD ghetto. Half-Life is, in fact, an alternately fanciful and stomach-churning about family life in the new century. After the patriarch flies his plane into the sunset, leaving his wife and children behind, the family starts coming apart at the seams. His wife falls in love with a younger, non-Asian man, whose presence disturbs the children. The daughter becomes increasingly distant, finding solace in a friend adopted by a preacher and his wife. The boy has just discovered he is gay, and enjoys nothing more than to rub the details of his sex life into their faces. The boy is witness to all of the various permutations of craziness, including watching his sister's friend canoodle with his teacher. Much of the boy's anxiety is illustrated in terrific animated sequences. That's a lot trauma to stuff into a 100-minute package, and Phang occasionally overreaches. Still, Half-Life demonstrates a lot of promise for her future endeavors.No such confusion should surround Ariztical's Be Mine, in which a young gay man must overcome his painfully shy personality to experience his long-awaited first kiss. His best female friend drags him to a Valentine's Day party, where he must confront his shyness or miss the opportunity of a lifetime.
