Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - (Page 28) REVIEWS I STREET KINGS Prebook 7/23; Street 8/19 Fox, Thriller, B.O. $26.4 million, $29.98 DVD, $34.98 two-DVD set, $39.98 Bluray, ‘R’ for strong violence and pervasive language. Stars Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Common, The Game, Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews. www.homemediamagazine.com I DISFIGURED will appeal to fans of plot-driven detective stories such as L.A. Confidential (by James Ellroy, who also helped write this screenplay) and action-oriented, guy-pleasing favorites such as the “Lethal Weapon” or “Die Hard” series. However, those two aspects never properly meld. Street Kings moves too quickly and has too many subplots to work as a police-procedural drama, while Ludlow never emerges as a gung-ho everyman a la Martin Riggs or John McClane. It doesn’t help that Reeves comes across as drowsy more than troubled, while Whitaker inhales the scenery, the dolly tracks, and everything else within range. Street Kings’ main appeal is its bevy of features — everything from alternate takes to short behind-the-scenes goodies. Aspiring filmmakers should relish Ayer’s willingness to share. In the director’s commentary, he details how countless scenes were shot and describes the challenges of a 43-day shoot. Ayer even explains why featured deleted scenes found the cutting room floor. Street 7/29 Cinema Libre, Comedy, $24.95 DVD, NR. Stars Deidra Edwards, Staci Lawrence, Ryan C. Benson. rom the man who wrote Training Day and S.W.A.T., Street Kings is not a surprising choice for David Ayer’s second directorial effort — a macho, violent cop drama with a hint of substance. Reeves (“The Matrix” trilogy) stars as Tom Ludlow, a troubled, skilled detective whose investigation into the execution-style murder of his former partner (Crews of Get Smart) reveals scary truths about Ludlow’s fatherly boss (Whitaker of The Last King of Scotland) and the LAPD. Also on hand is alleged funnyman Cedric the Entertainer as a streetwise hustler who helps Ludlow’s renegade investigation, and Laurie (TV’s “House”) as a dogged internal affairs captain. Street Kings has aspects that F I THE LAST WINTER Street 7/22 Genius, Thriller, B.O. $0.03 million, $19.95 DVD, NR Stars Ron Perlman, James LeGros, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Kevin Corrigan. F ifty years ago, we were afraid that nuclear missiles would rain down on us from the Evil Empire. Today, Americans are more and more afraid of global warming. The Last Winter, a high-quality if not completely satisfying horror film, plays on that. The plot follows a handful of oilcompany workers joined by one or two “greenie” environmental evaluators. They’re all isolated in the Great White North of the muchballyhooed Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a scenario that seems awfully current, the price of oil has finally climbed high enough that Americans are willing to crunch up and drill some of this last unspoiled wilderness. But the wilderness seems to have other ideas. One of the greenies has observed wild weather fluctuations, rising temperatures, and unsettling encounters, and wonders if Mother Nature isn’t starting to take her revenge on her most impudent species, Homo Sapiens. People at the frigid base camp are starting to go a little crazy, too, seeing things in the polar dark. The body count rises, and the team members slowly admit to themselves that something’s off-kilter out here. The beautiful arctic cinematography, the expert direction, and good performances from Ron Perlman as I MARIGOLD Street 7/29 Echo Bridge, Comedy, $14.99 DVD, ‘PG-13’ for brief strong language. Stars Ali Larter, Salman Khan. I 28 n Marigold, a second rate American actress is stranded in India but soon finds work, and love, on a Bollywood film set. Ali Larter, of “Heroes” fame, plays Marigold Lexton, a blond American stereotype full of attitude and a sense of entitlement. After finding out that the film she was originally cast in was canceled and her luggage rerouted by a vindictive flight attendant, Marigold has no choice but to rely on the kindness of strangers. Soon, that kindness starts to rub off on her. A Bollywood director writes her a role in his current production and Marigold finds herself falling for the choreographer, Prem, played by Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan. After becoming enamored with India and its cinema, Willard Carroll wrote and directed Marigold to create a bridge wo women, both struggling with issues of body image from radically different perspectives, learn to look past each other’s flaws and find some measure of acceptance both of themselves and of others in Disfigured. Lydia (Edwards) is an overweight twentysomething who is searching for a way to be happy with herself. Through her membership in an overweight acceptance group she meets Darcy, an anorexic who tries to join the group because she sees herself as fat. Although Lydia is initially wary of Darcy, Darcy’s strong desire for a female friend eventually breaks down Lydia’s resistance. At the same time, Lydia has a brief sexual encounter with an overweight man, Bob, also from her acceptance group. But when it turns out that he is not as emotionally available to her as she had believed, she begins to question – Pete Croatto all of the assumptions that she has made about herself as an overweight the mean boss, James LeGros as the woman in the world. relatively gallant environmental exShe makes a bold, if misguided, pert, and Connie Britton as the loyal company woman, make this a horror film treat. What’s not as delightful is the film’s conclusion, which is more mysterious than it needs to be. Are the strange happenings the result of the spirits of animals? Gas seeping up from a melting permafrost? Humans mentally corrupted by some powerful force of Earth? The movie doesn’t say for sure, which makes its apocalyptic finale much less satisfying than its decision. She asks her new friend to promising beginning. help her become anorexic. The Last Winter will appeal to Disfigured touches on subjects that those hankering for some ice-cold traditionally have been ignored in horror on a par with The Thing film. There is a frank sexual scene as well as environmentally minded between Lydia and Bob that is nofilm fans who are scared at the pos- table for involving an overweight sibility of Mother Nature fighting couple, a rarity in modern film. back against mankind’s environAlmost as unusual are scenes in mental degradation. which Lydia eats — really eats — out – Brendan Howard of anger and frustration. And the film’s central relationship, that between Lydia and Darcy, is difficult between Hollywood and Bollywood. and complicated. At the film’s end, The resulting film is a hodgepodge viewers get the idea that it will remain of the two styles; the Bollywood ele- this way because the characters both ments are not taken far enough into are, in addition to being many other the spectacle to be truly enjoyable and things, difficult and complicated. the Hollywood portions feel wooden Disfigured, a small, low budget indeand forced. pendent, is not a perfect film. But it At best, Marigold is a light romantic is a film that explores new emotional comedy laced with Indian musical se- territory in a frank, non-judgmental quences, but Carroll does not succeed way and features stunningly brave in inspiring future crossovers between performances, particularly by EdBollywood and Hollywood, as he does wards. Those interested in trail-blazneither style justice. ing independent dramas will find – Amanda McCorquodale Disfigured riveting. – Anne Sherber T Home Media Magazine July 20–26, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 Home Media Magazine - June 20-26, 2008 Contents News TV DVD Commentary Horror/Halloween Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - June 20-26, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - June 20-26, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - June 20-26, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - June 20-26, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - June 20-26, 2008 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - June 20-26, 2008 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - News (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Commentary (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Commentary (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Commentary (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Commentary (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Horror/Halloween (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Reviews (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Reviews (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Reviews (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Reviews (Page 29) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Reviews (Page 30) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Reviews (Page 31) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 32) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 33) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 34) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 35) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 36) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 37) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 38) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 39) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 40) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - July 20-26, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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