Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - (Page 12) REVIEWS www.homemediamagazine.com I ROLE MODELS Street 3/10 Universal, Comedy, B.O. $67.3 million, $29.98 DVD, $39.98 Blu-ray, ‘R’ for crude and sexual content, strong language and nudity. Stars Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch, Ken Jeong, Ken Marino, Kerri Kenney, A.D. Miles, Joe Lo Truglio, Matt Walsh. J udd Apatow didn’t produce Role Models, but he may as well have. It has all the same bromance sensibilities, the same type of freestyle comedy and a cast of Apatow all-stars, so any confusion is understandable. At the helm for this one is David Wain of the comedy troupe “Stella,” who previously directed cult faves such as Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten (which caused some buzz on the Internet with a sex scene between Winona Ryder and a ventriloquist’s puppet). For Role Models he combines a healthy mix of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott star as two guys who, through a series of unfortunate events, are forced to conduct community service to stay out of jail and are sent to mentor kids at the Sturdy Wings youth center. Such group settings are often rife for comedic possibilities, as the writers throw in a variety of quirky characters, and Role Models is no exception. The film doubles up the eccentricity when one of the youths, played by Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse, introduces Rudd to the world of live-action role-playing — a gaming club that involves dozens of people dressing up as medieval warriors and staging elaborate battles using foam swords. The film starts well with some solid observational humor but hits a lull once the guys get to Sturdy Wings. It stays afloat thanks to some standout individual performances and a spot of nudity. Things pick up toward the end as lessons are learned in time for one big final battle. Rudd anchors the film as his typical sardonic self, while 12year-old Thompson is shockingly fresh as a randy preteen who curses with the vim and vigor of a sailor on shore leave. The disc includes both unrated and ‘R’-rated theatrical versions of the films. Extras include a wry but thorough solo commentary from Wain (on the theatrical version), a smattering of behind-the-scenes material and some deleted scenes that may inspire some chuckles but otherwise aren’t very funny. Still, with its comedy pedigree, Role Models is crass enough to fit right in with the wide array of movies that appeal to the frat-house mentality. – John Latchem I IN THE ELECTRIC MIST Street 3/3 Image, Thriller, $27.98 DVD, $25.98 Blu-ray, ‘R’ for violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity. Stars Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly Macdonald, Mary Steenburgen, Ned Beatty. I LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Street 3/10 Magnolia, Horror, B.O. $2 million, $26.98 DVD, $34.98 Blu-ray, ‘R’ for some bloody violence including disturbing images, brief nudity and language. Stars Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson. ags under the eyes, pockmarks and a ruddy nose can symbolize a burdened life numbed by alcohol, denial and even self-pity. For Lt. Dave Robicheaux (Tommy Lee Jones), it also represents coming to grips with Louisiana’s insufferable humidity, racist past and the unexplained killings of young hookers in New Iberia. When self-indulgent movie star Elrod Sykes (Peter Sarsgaard) — in town filming a Civil War film — is pulled over by Robicheaux for speeding and a DUI, he begins babbling about skeletal remains found near the movie set. Upon closer inspection Robicheaux recognizes the remains as those belonging to a young shackled black man he accidentally witnessed shot to death in Atchafalaya Swamp nearly 40 years earlier. B Enter transplanted New Orleans mobster Julie “Baby Feet” Balboni (John Goodman), purportedly financing the film with “social” ties to the slain women, and invariably the sins of the past resurrect themselves into the present. Fresh from award-nominated performances in No Country for Old Men and In the Valley of Elah, Jones’ strong on-screen persona and moody voiceovers carry Mist with aplomb. French director Bertrand Tavernier’s penchant for panoramic shots of the bayou countryside and penetrating sunsets grant Jones a requisite stage. Texas-born Jones is clearly in his element when allowed to fully explore the peculiar culture, habits and dialect of the south. “You just look for good parts and good stories and a good company to work with,” Jones once told an interviewer. “Characters with no integrity are just as interesting as characters with lots of integrity.” Additional fine performances from Mary Steenburgen as Robicheaux’s wife, Ned Beatty as corrupt sugar cane farmer Twinky LeMoyne, James Gammon as a salt-of-the-earth local and Levon Helm as erudite Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood underscore why Image Entertainment chose Mist as one of its tentpole releases this year. – Erik Gruenwedel et the Right One In may be the single most beautiful horror film I have ever seen. This is a strange feeling to have about a horror film, but so fitting for a movie with sweeping vistas of the snow-covered Swedish landscape. It is not so much frightening as it is melancholy, with a dark story told against a stark background. At its heart it is really a love story between a lonely and bullied 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and the 12-year-old girl, Eli, who befriends him. The fact that the girl is actually a vampire becomes almost secondary — an obstacle for their adolescent love to overcome, rather than the central focus. For American audiences accustomed to fast-paced, uber-gory films with high body counts, this movie will not fit that bill. The pacing is even, though not too slow, and although the essence of gore makes its way on screen, the kills are not shown in their excruciating detail. L For vampire aficionados this falls more in line with the traditional mythology a la Dracula, but has vestiges of more modern, reluctant vampire stories (think Louis from Interview with a Vampire). Eli knows she must kill to survive, but hates the hunt. She is remorseful of her own kills, but in a twist of irony that can only be rationalized in the mind of a perpetually adolescent girl, she asks others to kill for her. With superb acting by both young stars, the most horrifying moments of the film occur in the quiet spaces amid the violence, as the relationship develops between a skinny, lonely boy and a blood-soaked, woeful girl-cummonster. – Kyra Kudick 14 Home Media Magazine March 2–8, 2009 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 Contents News TV DVD SXSW Reviews Research Top 20 Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover4) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - TV DVD (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - SXSW (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Sellers (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Sellers (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 22)
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