Blu-Ray Lookout: "Whip It"

1/28/10 12:40 PM

If there’s one movie that surprised me in 2009, I’d have to say it was “Whip It,” Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut. Released Tuesday on DVD and Blu-Ray, “Whip It” is an entirely predictable feel-good movie about coming of age and following your dreams. What’s surprising is how good it is. Ellen Page plays Bliss Cavendar, a shy 17-year-old who feels stuck in her small hometown of Bodeen, Texas. While shopping in nearby Austin, Bliss discovers women’s roller derby, and she is immediately enchanted. Of course, she has a natural talent, and she easily makes the team. And of course we get a training montage (scored by .38 Special’s “Caught Up in You,” which is both charming and awesome). Because she’s doing this...

Blu-Ray Lookout: "The Hurt Locker"

1/28/10 12:09 AM

If you didn’t have a chance to catch The Hurt Locker in theaters last summer (and based on the relatively limited release and low box office gross, you probably didn’t), then now is the time. It has been at the top of my Netflix queue for weeks, going from “Releases 1/12/2010” to the inevitable “Long Wait” to the increasingly irritating “Very Long Wait.” On the one hand, it’s nice to know people are discovering this great film, but of course, I wanted to discover it, too. Tired of waiting, I purchased the film on Blu-Ray, and having finally experienced what many have called one of the best films of the year, I can say I wholeheartedly agree. The Hurt Locker is a masterpiece. The film centers on an Army EOD (Explosive Ordinance...

"Legion": The Unholy Product of an Unmerciful God

1/26/10 2:06 AM

Let’s play a game, shall we? A guessing game, if you will. I will present to you a few scenarios, and you, the reader, will guess what the most likely conclusion will be to said propositions. Okay. Let’s begin.   You’re watching a movie. It’s called Legion. We know based on the marketing that it is a post-apocalyptic siege movie about what would happen if God lost faith in people and sent down angels to destroy all of humanity. We also know that there is a rogue angel who is banished from heaven and will lead the human resistance on Earth. These will be the plot confines in which we play our game.   A major character is seen fiddling with an old cigarette lighter – he flicks it on and off, occasionally just...

Top Grossing Films of 2009 (Part 2)

1/21/10 12:39 PM

5.  The Twilight Saga: New Moon  ($292,509,377)*   As I stated in my initial review of New Moon, the entire Twilight series has been an obnoxious attempt to preach celibacy while thrusting shirtless 17-year-old boys in the face of the mostly-female audience. While I could probably go on for days about why the Twilight series is artistically worthless, honestly, why bother? It’s been done and overdone. Those who love Twilight and New Moon are going to continue to love it, and the rest of us are going to continue to be baffled by its growing appeal.   The way I generally handle a potentially awkward Twilight-related social situation? I bring up the wonderful and certainly superior vampire film Let the Right One In or the...

Top Grossing Films of 2009 (Part 1)

1/20/10 4:55 PM

10.  Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($196,573,705)*   I’ve never been terribly fond of the Ice Age films, and while this one wasn’t terrific, it certainly charmed me more than the previous two. If nothing else, I actually recall the events of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The other two films are a happily forgotten blur. In Roger Ebert’s review of the third film, he called it the best of the bunch, and he’s right. But I still didn’t like it very much. Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Trailer HD - ShoxXx - For more funny movies, click here    9.  Monsters Vs. Aliens ($198,351,526)   There are small things to enjoy Monsters Vs. Aliens. The first thing...