Home Media Magazine - January 20-26, 2008 - (Page 20) Edited by John Latchem REVIEWS EDITOR’S PICK The Farce Is Strong C onsidering all the “Star Wars” references featured on “Family Guy” over the years, a full-on parody was probably inevitable. The hilarious Blue Harvest is basically a straightforward spoof of Episode IV: A New Hope, featuring “Family Guy” characters in the key roles. The episode aired in September, but the DVD features an extended cut. Some of the better gags involve characters pointing out plot holes in the original movie. Highlights include an animated cameo by composer John Williams, a spectacularly ridiculous lineup of pilots attacking the Death Star, and Rush Limbaugh as a talk show host complaining about the politics of a galaxy far, far away. If the episode has a drawback, it’s that it’s too reverential toward the original film in re-creating the visual effects in animation, when “Family Guy”style designs may have better served the piece. The DVD features a pretty good interview with George Lucas conducted by “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, who tries to play it straight, although his respect for the “Star Wars” creator is clear. Also included is a behind-the-scenes vignette and a montage of “Family Guy” references to “Star Wars.” The reel is missing a few clips that had already been seen in the making-of special. John Latchem Assistant Managing Editor I MOVING MCALLISTER Street 1/29 Magnolia, Comedy, B.O. $0.04 million, $26.98 DVD, I FAMILY GUY PRESENTS: BLUE HARVEST Fox, $22.98 DVD, $34.99 specialedition DVD. NR. Voices of Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Mike Henry. ‘PG-13’ for some drug content, sexual references and crude humor. Stars Ben Gourley, Mila Kunis, Jon Heder, Rutger Hauer. THE TOP 5 I STAR WARS PARODIES Fox’s “Family Guy” and Warner’s “Robot Chicken” both made waves in 2007 with popular “Star Wars” episodes (the Robot Chicken: Star Wars DVD hits May 20 from Warner Home Video at $14.97). But here’s a few of the all-time classic movies and short films that poke fun at the holy trilogy, all available on DVD. — John Latchem M ormons are certainly getting exposure these days. First we had Napoleon Dynamite, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and starring Jon Heder, and now writer-director-actor Ben Gourley is stepping into the limelight. All attended Brigham Young University, a fact prominently displayed when speaking of any of the aforementioned. But guess what? Mitt Romneylovin’ folk wouldn’t be caught dead watching anything as hip as Moving McAllister, a new film written and directed by and starring Gourley. From fart humor to extended psychedelic drug sequences, this ‘PG-13’ comedy isn’t for the straight-laced. Gourley plays the kinda shy, kinda sexy aspiring lawyer Rick. Rick wants to impress the partner at his firm, McAllister (Hauer, playing it deliciously haughty in his brief screen moments), so McAllister gets the groveling Rick to ship his beloved niece (Kunis) and her pet pig across the country in a rickety old truck. Madcap antics ensue. Kunis, as the grating but endearing Michelle, does more than just reprise Jackie from “That ’70s Show,” actually underplaying her bratty character and getting surprisingly tender when she meets Rick’s dad — a costume-frocked poor soul with little grip on reality. Heder also doesn’t just pull the Napoleon Dynamite shtick as weirdo hitchhiker Orlie, actually coming off as a little scary, if amusing. 1. I HARDWARE WARS (MWP) 1977. The original parody, filmed with household objects as ships, is the epitome of low budget, but still great. I POOR BOY’S GAME Prebook 1/24; Street 2/19 ThinkFilm, Drama, $27.98 DVD, ‘R’ for pervasive language, strong sexual content and some violent images. Stars Danny Glover, Rossif Sutherland, Flex Alexander, Greg Bryk, Laura Regan. 2. I GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE (MediaTrip) 1999. This hilarious short, based on Shakespeare in Love, imagines Lucas finding inspiration for “Star Wars” at USC. 3. I SPACEBALLS (MGM) 1987. Mel Brooks’ space epic is probably the best-known parody. It’s hammy and obvious at times but filled with great visual gags. T 4. I R2-D2: BENEATH THE DOME (Fox) 2001. While making Episode II, Lucasfilm commissioned this “True Hollywood Story”style special about cinema’s favorite droid. 5. I THUMB WARS (Image) 1999. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls director Steve Oedekerk proved he’s all thumbs with the first in his “Thumbation” series of parodies. his understated and brooding drama stars Rossif Sutherland (I’m Reed Fish) as Donnie Rose, a young man and amateur boxer whose release from prison causes immediate complications in a Nova Scotia neighborhood. Nine years before, Donnie’s racially motivated assault of a black teen permanently handicapped the young man, a fact not forgotten by his victim’s working-class family, which is headed by George Carvery (Glover), a former boxing trainer. Scorn from the black community is the least of Donnie’s problem, though. Carvery’s protégé, the explosive and vengeance-minded Ossie Paris (Alexander of Snakes on a Plane), wants Donnie as his next opponent. Prodded by his racist family and a $20,000 payday, Donnie agrees to the fight, unexpectedly giving him and the elder Carvery a chance to settle the horrors of the past on their own terms. Though it suffers from a somewhat predictable and overstuffed story — especially the racist practices of Donnie’s club-owner uncle and a romantic subplot — Poor Boy’s Game benefits from veteran director/co-writer Clement Virgo’s subtle and even-keel approach. The film rarely veers into melodrama, and a collection of steady performances help. The always underrated Glover, who has been in everything from the “Lethal Weapon” series to Dreamgirls, gives the movie needed gravitas with his quiet, intense performance as a man torn between benevolence and rage. Anyone looking for explosive sports action won’t find it here, but any fan of well-rounded character studies will find much to like in Poor Boy’s Game. – Pete Croatto 20 Home Media Magazine January 20–26, 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.