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Free Flick of the Day: See No Evil, Hear No Evil
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Without a doubt, one of the greatest comedic pairings of all time was Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Stir Crazy, Silver Streak, Another You ... each had its charm, ranging from the story of a runaway train to a comedy directed by one Sidney Poitier. But my favorite has always been See No Evil, Hear No Evil -- a ridiculously plotted ball of laughs that allowed Wilder and Pryor to be their perfect -- and ultimate -- dysfunctional duo selves.The film revolves around an unlikely friendship between a blind man named Wally (Pryor) and a deaf man named Dave (Wilder). They meet, become friends, and then find themselves embroiled in a messy murder. The cops don't believe them, and the crooks want them dead. Innocent yet desperate bystanders, they set out to stay alive and bring the bad guys to justice -- one of whom just so happens to be Kevin Spacey.
While the movie is an action crime thriller, See No Evil, Hear No Evil's charm rests solely on the banter that always erupted between Pryor and Wilder, and the ludicrousness of having an action film's heroic acts be led by one man who can't see, and another who can't hear.
Head over to SlashControl to watch See No Evil, Hear No Evil!
FTC Blasts Hollywood For Selling R-Rated Content to Kids
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Distribution, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing, Politics
The FTC wants Hollywood to think of the children. The New York Times reports that the FTC has blasted the film industry for "explicit and pervasive targeting of young children," specifically by advertising PG-13 and R-rated films during TV shows and websites that may attract younger audiences. The "unrated" DVD craze is also said to be geared at corrupting the youth, as the films up the gore ante on films originally given a PG-13 or R rating, and retailers routinely sell R-rated DVDs to kids under 17.While I do believe in protecting the youth of America, I'm not sure the FTC is being entirely fair to the movie industry. With the Internet, kids can go anywhere. Saying that advertisements for R-rated films "may" show up on sites kids and teens visit is casting a pretty wide and impossible net that can really only be contained by parental controls. Nor is it the fault of studios that retailers are selling DVDs to young kids. Blame that on a retail industry that's kept in motion by underpaid teens and twentysomethings who just don't want to be yelled at when they refuse to sell Watchmen to a 13 year old. Stores should put in a strict and well-advertised policy that they'll check IDs before selling DVDs, just like movie theaters do, and the problem can be solved right there. Now, could there be an insidious plot by studios to prevent such discipline, and prop up their dwindling DVD sales? I can't answer that.
While Hollywood certainly could do more self-policing, like the video game industry does, I will always feel the blame rests on two (or in some cases, one) individuals the FTC doesn't like to blame: Parents. It isn't the job of studios or stores to make sure kids aren't watching violent or explicit content.
General Zod Stars in World's Most Embarrassing Wedding Video
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips
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Everyone tries to make their wedding stand out from all the rest, especially when you're a movie geek. At my own wedding, for example, I had our band play "Earth Angel" and "Johnny B. Goode" back-to-back at midnight in honor of the 50th anniversary of the day that Marty McFly first traveled back in time to (my wedding took place on November 4th, 2005). It was cute and nostalgic, and my lady didn't have a problem with that small little nod to one of my favorite movies of all time during what was perhaps the most important night of her life.
But then you get the folks who take things one giant step further. Like The Burgers, who during their wedding this past May, found their reception interrupted by a certain Superman villain named General Zod. Fortunately for us this awkward, embarrassing interlude was caught on tape -- and subsequently uploaded to YouTube -- so that we could all enjoy watching these people make complete fools out of themselves. Luckily for those in attendance, after what seems like an eternity of General Zod yelling "Kneel before Zod", the groom (as Superman) busts in to save the day. And the bride? Well she makes an appearance at the end (looking somewhat surprised and baffled by the whole thing), and, well, let's just hope for his sake she didn't immediately ask the dude to sign divorce papers.
Watch the video after the jump, if only to learn what NOT to do at your wedding.
'Entourage' Movie in the Works?
Filed under: Comedy, RumorMonger, Newsstand, Home Entertainment
Tired of watching a group of horny male Hollywood-somethings bounce around to various Los Angeles hot spots and make fun of each other while beautiful, half-naked wannabee models-turned-actresses try to have sex with them on the small screen? Don't you think this sort of entertainment deserves the big-screen treatment? Well you may be in luck, as Entourage producer Mark Wahlberg recently told The Hollywood Reporter that the show only has two seasons left under its current contract, and while there could be more seasons of boring plotlines in our future, the possibility of ending it on the big screen is very much alive.
Wahlberg's exact quote: "We'll see; there could be more. But then, a movie." Not much to go on, and this wouldn't be the first television show to tease a potential trip to the big screen, but in reality it is the one that makes the most sense. You'd think a show that was all about Hollywood and movies would stage their final send off on the big screen. It just seems like the obvious choice. Of course, the writing on the current show kinda sucks, so it's hard to imagine a full-length Entourage movie being anything beyond an extended collection of shallow, egocentric pieces of random nothingness. I mean, seriously, do you watch the show? Nothing ever happens! This past season it took I don't know how many episodes (13?) for someone to actually get engaged. And that was like the biggest thing to happen on the show in its history. A freaking engagement!
So, yeah, if Entourage wants to make a successful run at the big screen, then they need to up the ante, give us a plot that's more than Vince maybe-kinda-sorta doing a film that he loves and Ari hates (or vice versa), and give us a reason to actually care about these characters for once.
Thoughts?
The Ten Best High-Def Gifts to Buy This Holiday Season
Filed under: Fandom, Home Entertainment
Now that Black Friday has come and gone and folks have to start making sane if vaguely desperate decisions what to get their friends and loved ones for the holidays, it seemed appropriate that Cinematical put together a list of a few items that might help cross a few names off your list. Scouring the last few months for suggestions, as well as carefully checking the slate of releases in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day, we came up with ten suggestions that will make the space under your tree seem a little less empty, and should hopefully help their recipients' lives feel a little more full - of entertainment, at the very least.
In alphabetical order:
Shelf Life: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Filed under: Fandom, Home Entertainment, Shelf Life
On Thanksgiving Day this year, I sat with my girlfriend's lovely family eating turkey and watching Home Alone, and it occurred to me that in the hustle and bustle of reviewing new movies, I seldom take the time to go back and revisit the holiday movies that I remember from my childhood. Even among the titles I've viewed for this "Shelf Life" series, few of them were seminal kids movies, whether they were from my own childhood, or from those of previous or subsequent generations, and none of them have been traditional holiday or holiday-themed films.
Home Alone was a film I saw at a formative time in my young life – I was 14 or so – but National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was probably more important to me, since it balanced gingerly on the line between family entertainment and more grown-up fare. In hindsight, it's probably more oriented for teenagers and kids than anyone, even with (or maybe because of) its abundance of potty humor, but it seemed like 20 years was about the right amount of time to take between viewings. Which is why Christmas Vacation is this week's "Shelf Life" subject. (Well, that and Warner Home Video recently released a deluxe box set including one of those moose-shaped eggnog glasses.)
Free Flick of the Day: The Pirates of Penzance
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Forget Pirates of the Caribbean. Forget musicals like My Fair Lady. My favorite swashbucklers don't have an Aerosmith swagger or terrible speech troubles. They hold their own against the very model of a modern major general. In 1980, theatrical producer and creator of the New York Shakespeare Festival Joseph Papp brought Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance to the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. It was so popular that it ended up making its way to Broadway, won a bunch of Tony Awards, sailed away to London, and then got turned into the film in 1983.The movie starred Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Linda Ronstadt, and Angela Lansbury, and detailed the life of Frederic (Smith), a boy who was supposed to become a pilot, until his hard-of-hearing nurse (Lansbury) misheard her instructions and apprenticed the kid to a pirate (Kline). On his 21st birthday, he's finally released, and soon falls for a saucy daughter (Ronstadt) of Major-General Stanley (George Rose), sparking a stand-off between the good Major-General and noble life and the swashbuckling ways of unlawful pirate life.
The feature is silly, wordy, and best of all, allows Kline to be charismatic, sexy, and whole lot more lively than most of his more recent work. After the jump, you can watch the excellent and most impressive "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General," and then:
Head over to SlashControl to watch The Pirates of Penzance!
Note: If you're curious about the stage production, a recording is available on DVD as well.
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 12/1
Filed under: New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Cinematical Indie
Terminator Salvation
I suspect McG's movie will play really well at home, with the volume turned up and the surround sound explosions masking the lack of a compelling story and lackluster performances. Everyone from Christian Bale to Anton Yelchin to Sam Worthington to Bryce Dallas Howard was overshadowed by the special effects and the robots running rampant. However, at home you can walk in and out, pause, rewind, and replay -- and yes, freeze frame Moon Bloodgood's extremely brief topless scene -- without harming an essentially harmless movie. Rent it. Also available in a 3-disc Blu-ray edition, with theatrical and director's cut, alternate endings, featurettes, and more
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Our reviewer, Eric D. Snider, described it as "a mix of genuinely funny performances and highly lazy storytelling. You know how it goes: the plot is inane, but a lot of the dialogue makes you laugh." With Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, and Owen Wilson. Not my cup of tea, but if you're so inclined: Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Single-disc DVD includes audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes with alternate ending, and gag reel. Two-disc "Monkey Mischief" edition add more featurettes and games. The Blu-ray combo pack includes even more featurettes and a standard def DVD.
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Who is that happy couple running? Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner - after the jump!
Warner Bros Will Make Clint Eastwood Fans' Day
Filed under: Action, Classics, Warner Brothers, Distribution, Newsstand, Home Entertainment
If you're lucky enough to be graced with cash or gift cards this Christmas, and you have a big hole on your DVD shelf where Clint Eastwood ought to be, Warner Bros will be happy to help you out. On February 16 they're releasing a massive, 19-disc collection Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros that celebrates the actor / director / producer. Included will be a booklet and a feature length documentary by Richard Schickel. The retail price will be a hefty $179.98.Warners didn't release a complete list of those 35 films, but it spans the tender years of Where Eagles Dare all the way to 2008's Gran Torino. I imagine there will be some crossover with what you already own, like the entire Dirty Harry collection and The Outlaw Josey Wales. But most of his output from the late 1970s onward was done at Warner Bros, so all those films you've forgotten he ever made -- The Gauntlet, Bronco Billy, Honkytonk Man, Tightrope, Firefox, Heartbreak Ridge, A Perfect World, Pink Cadillac -- and can't find on DVD will make this a must have for the fan who needs everything.
Or almost everything. If you're looking for his directorial debut Play Misty For Me, or forgotten gems like Thunderbolt and Lightfoot or The Beguiled, you'll have to wait until Universal or MGM decides to put out a boxed set of their own. On that day, you better reinforce your bookshelf with steel frames to support the other 30 odd films he's done, even without Francis in the Navy.
Discuss: How Long Should You Keep Netflix DVDs?
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Over at Hacking Netflix, Peter Nelhaus started a lively discussion about how long Netflix subscribers should get to keep DVDs without penalty. Peter feels that Netflix needs to establish some limits -- after you've hung on to a disc for, say, two months, you should be charged the purchase price for the DVD. His problem is that Netflix just doesn't have large quantities of more obscure foreign/indie titles, and if I'm procrastinating on watching one of those "smaller" titles, the rest of you are waiting on me. The two pages of comments offer a range of suggestions: Netflix sending a "nudge" email to subscribers every month, waiting until six months to charge a fee for holding a DVD, or simply buying more copies of that title.The thread prompted me to look at our own Netflix account. It's not pretty. We've had one DVD for a month, and the other two for over two months. If you're in Austin and wondering why you can't get your hands on Brothers of the Head, it's totally our fault. A "nudge" email would probably help; threatening us with a fee might be overkill, although we'd sure send them back ASAP. Admittedly we tend to use the Watch Instantly feature more than the physical discs, so even hanging onto the discs, we get our money's worth. However, I think I'll physically nudge my husband to watch 'em or send 'em back soon, just to avoid the wrath of Peter and others like him.
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