monitorTHIS! - March 2009 - (Page 5) How awesome would it have been if this were an animated spin-off to Beverly Hills Cop, complete with Eddie Murphy voicing the eponymous rodent-dog? Answer: not very awesome. The current version—concerning a precocious Chihuahua (Drew Barrymore) who barely escapes battle with a vicious Doberman (Edward James Olmos) in Mexico—did just fine at the box office anyway. Jamie Lee Curtis and Piper Perabo acquit themselves well as the human talent. In Stores March 3 WAlt disney Beverly Hills Chihuahua i stones r You think The Boondock Saints had it rough, opening in just five theaters nationwide? According to Wikipedia, Sissy Spacek’s southern drama scored just one such opening. Hence, it’s got a bit of a climb before it can earn cult status. Spacek stars as a matriarch trying to rebuild her family years after implosion. She’s bolstered by an intriguing supporting cast—Rebecca Romijn and Dave Matthews (yes, that Dave Matthews) among them. In Stores March 3 UniVersAl Lake City Punisher: War Zone mar 17 E ve n though nob ody went to see it, the third time was a charm for the embattled Marvel Comics vigilante. Dolph Lundgren’s late ’80s version was pure camp, Thomas Jane’s 2004 reboot was a step in the right direction, but Ray Stevenson is pure walking brutality, more along the lines of Garth Ennis’ adultsonly Punisher War Journal. Enemies are dispatched colorfully, frequently and with extreme prejudice. As hard an R as you’ll see all year. liOnsgAte Irishman Stuart Townsend’s decadeplus acting career never quite ignited, so you can’t blame him for branching into directing. His debut dramatizes the events that led to rioting in downtown Seattle during the 1999 World Trade Organization Conference. Although response was mixed from audiences, critics and Pacific Northwest anarchist groups, Townsend’s docudrama—starring Woody Harrelson, André 3000, Ray Liotta and Charlize Theron— was a solid and brave effort. In Stores March 10 UniVersAl Battle in Seattle The hands-down highlight of this year’s typically boring Golden Globes was Gervais onstage, pint in hand, goofing on the rotten economy forcing Madonna to jettison hired help (Guy Ritchie, zing!) and Salma Hayek’s humorless reaction shot. If Hayek isn’t laughing, it’s a safe bet you should be. Talking points for the Extras and Office alum: “fund-raising, fame, nursery rhymes, Nazis, moronic friends and obesity.” We’re so there. In Stores March 31 HBO HOme VideO Ricky Gervais: Out of England—The Stand-Up Special Gordon Ramsay’s caustic vivisections of budding chefs on Hell’s Kitchen never get old, but it’s nice to see a (somewhat) softer side of him on this BBC hit. Anthologizing eight episodes of the original U.K. series, this two-disc set follows the celebrity gourmet’s attempted renovations of four flailing restaurants. Although Ramsay’s blunt assessments frequently rub ownership and staff the wrong way, they generally come around to his way of thinking. In Stores March 3 AcOrn mediA Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares—The Complete Series [ march 2009 + monitorthis! + 5 ]
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