Home Media Magazine - October 28-November 3, 2007 - (Page 20)

“TERRIFIC PERFORMANCES It had me in stitches!” Monty Python's Terry Jones REVIEWS I DANNY ROANE: FIRST-TIME DIRECTOR Street 11/6 Lionsgate, Comedy, $26.98 DVD, ‘R’ for drug content, crude and sexual humor and some language. Stars Andy Dick, Michael Hitchcock, Anthony Rapp, James Van Der Beek, Maura Tierney, Kate Flannery, Danny Trejo. www.homemediamagazine.com “An enterprising piece, FUNNY & SHARP.” The Observer D anny Roane is a sobering satire of the entertainment industry’s obsession with partying to excess, rehab and relapse. The film takes viewers on a wild ride through the drunken delirium of former bumbling sitcom star Danny Roane (Andy Dick), who has been blackballed from Hollywood for his infamous debauchery. The film opens on Danny being interviewed (mockumentary style) by a video crew charged with filming his attempted return to fame via the autobiographical movie Dead Dream. Flashbacks to Danny as an obnoxious guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” hearken back to the hilarious skits that made “The Andy Dick Show” so popular. Fans of Andy Dick will be entertained by the increasingly offthe-wall and, at times, grotesque but darkly humorous scenes that follow. A variety of stars have cameos throughout the movie, which careens from spoofing Hollywood’s egocentric caricatures to Danny’s fall from ill-fated grace into a drunken relapse. Jack Black makes an appearance portraying God on a Hog, and Danny corners Ben Stiller in his posh office, begging him to play the role of a horse. “All you have to do is go, ‘weeeehhhee,’” he exclaims to a stunned Stiller. Danny casts Van Der Beek as the leading man, only to replace him midway through the production with Rapp (Rent) after Danny goes on a three-day bender and returns to the set with a vision of transforming his drama into a musical. In the midst of that chaos, the film’s shady producer runs off with the production money, leaving nothing but the wrap party budget to plunder for the film’s completion. The crew, led by a constantly relapsing Danny, hurriedly finishes the film with ever-diminishing production values and a disastrous premiere at the fictitious National Society of Jewish Women’s Film Festival. During the phony outtakes as the credits roll, Kevin P. Farley, in character as gung-ho assistant director KC, provides his take on alcoholism and its inherent denial: “In America, we’re all prudes. In Europe, they’re drunk all the time. Everyone is drunk all over the world — but us.” — Brett Sporich I PIGS Prebook 11/1; Street 11/27 CINEQUEST Int’l Film Festival WINNER-JURY PRIZE JACKSON HOLE Int’l Film Festival WINNER-BEST FILM ThinkFilm, Comedy, $27.98 DVD, ‘R’ for pervasive crude and sexual content, language and brief nudity. Stars Jefferson Brown, Darryn Lucio, Melanie Marden, Christopher Elliott. CAMBRIDGE Int’l Film Festival Official Selection EDINBURGH Int’l Film Festival Official Selection SEATTLE Int’l Film Festival Official Selection SANTA BARBARA Int’l Film Festival Official Selection W hen Jamie accepts an invitation to spend a weekend in the country with Kathy and her friend Natasha, he never expects to sleep with both of them in one night. Worse still, when he seeks out therapeutic help to come to terms with the affair, he really doesn't expect the therapist to be Natasha's boyfriend! The West Wittering Affair is an embarrassingly funny sex comedy of errors, a story about the bed swapping and sadistic revenge of four confused, love-hungry urbanites. SPECIAL FEATURES W •Theatrical Release •Loaded with extras & never before seen footage. •Comparable to ‘Monty Python’ and HBO's ‘Tell Me You Love Me’ • Men's Therapy Group •Interview with Director •Dr. Holland's Sex Clinic Infomercial • Trailer • Music From The Film PRE-ORDER: STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 6th DECEMBER 4th DISTRIBUTED BY LIF-DV-1048 WEST WITTERING AFFAIR UPC: 880215104898 2.0 Dolby 16:9 $19.98 English ith a title like Pigs, it’s hard not to think of the now classic juvenile debauchery film Porky’s. Viewers expecting another version of the familiar “horny guys looking to score” formula will probably find themselves satisfied but might also be in for surprise. Roomies Miles (Brown) and Cleaver (Lucio) have been living it up for years. Tiring of the now routine cycle of boozing and meaningless sex, Cleaver challenges Miles to a carnal competition: sleep with girls who, through their surnames, represent every letter of the alphabet. Anyone with foresight might spot the logistical, if not ethical, problems inherent with the plan, specifically, finding a girl whose last name begins with the letter ‘X.’ Complications arise when Miles meets Gabby (Marden), whose last name does begin with ‘X,’ and begins to develop genuine feelings for her. The makers of Pigs seem to know the genre quite well and recognize how reprehensible and immature the actions of their characters are. It is a pleasant revelation to see the film morph from wacky college sex romp to a heartfelt coming-of-age romance. — David Greenberg QUICK TAKE This ‘Angel’ Still Has Wings S ince its debut in 1999, “Angel” was always seen as a darker counterpart to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Streeting Oct. 30, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Angel Collector’s Set (30-DVD set $139.98) is a perfect chance to re-experience the show’s five seasons, which tell the story of a vampire with a soul (played by David Boreanaz of “Bones”) seeking redemption in a human world. The packaging style mimics the earlier “Buffy” boxed set, with the discs stacked in trays contained within a larger cube. The set doesn’t include any bonus discs with new features, so fans who bought the season sets won’t feel as if they’re missing out. Other than the packaging, the only item exclusive to the set is an introduction by creator Joss Whedon. — John Latchem 92min. Not-Rated DVD 9 20 BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN Home Media Magazine October 28–November 3, 2007 hom102807_020r1.pgs 10.24.2007 21:38 ccoffey http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - October 28-November 3, 2007

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