Week in Rewind/Movies

Netflix It: The Widow of St. Pierre: Movie, DVD Review (2009)

2009-07-05T11:55:00.000-04:00

Editor's Note: Netflix It is a feature meant to draw attention to older films some readers might have missed, and might consider either adding to their Netflix queue, or renting at their local DVD store. The following review of "The Widow of St. Pierre," never published here before, is the original 2000 review.

Movie, DVD Review
“The Widow of St. Pierre”

Directed by Patrice Leconte, written by Claude Faraldo, 112 minutes, rated R. In French with English subtitles.

In Patrice Leconte’s “The Widow of St. Pierre,” a gorgeous-looking film based on a true story that takes place off the coast of Newfoundland in the French colony of St. Pierre, it’s 1849 and a brutal murder has just been committed against a man stabbed repeatedly in the gut for allegedly being too fat.

If the reason for the murder sounds a bit harsh even by today’s cut-throat standards of what constitutes an unacceptably large waistline, it’s useful to know that the murderer was stone drunk when he hacked his victim to leaner shreds.

Now condemned to death via guillotine (also known as a “widow” in French slang), the murderer, Neel Auguste (Emir Kusturica), is faced with a peculiar situation--since there are no guillotines or executioners in the foggy reaches of St. Pierre, the now sober and deeply remorseful Auguste must sit in a holding cell for several months while St. Pierre’s brilliantly inept magistrates work to ship in the guillotine from Martinique...and find an executioner.

In the interim, Auguste meets a dashing couple who profoundly impact his life--Pauline (Juliette Binoche) and her husband, Jean (Daniel Auteuil), an army captain responsible for Auguste’s care until the time comes to chop off his head.

But as this curious trio comes to know one another--and as the blindly passionate and idealistic Pauline quietly builds community support for saving Auguste’s life--his value as a human being comes into question. Indeed, as Pauline sees it, every man is capable of good and evil. When they slip--even if that slip involves a cold-blooded murder--they’re nevertheless human and deserving of a second chance.

Working from a script by Claude Faraldo, Leconte uses the growing tension between the townspeople who come to love Auguste and the magistrates ordered by law to kill him, as one of the driving forces behind his film.

But just as powerful--and perhaps more interesting--are the scenes shared between Binoche and Auteuil, two superb actors who deliver terrific, restrained performances that become the soul of the movie.

Indeed, as Pauline fights for Auguste’s life, she knowingly puts her husband’s job--and his own life--directly in jeopardy. There’s plenty of irony in that, but Leconte wisely doesn’t offer his own comment on Pauline’s choices. Instead, he goes deeper--and leaves it up to the audience to decide whether those choices were wreckless or absolutely right.

Grade: A-

WATCH: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Clips

2009-07-05T11:24:00.000-04:00

Below are two new clips from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which opens wide on July 15, 2009. The first is "Field Confrontation" and the second is "The Cave."

Check them out below. Looks good!

WATCH: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Trailer

2009-07-05T00:25:00.000-04:00

Okay, so this looks pretty good--and this is the film's first full-length trailer, which look much better than the teaser trailer released a few months ago. The film opens wide on September 18, 2009, and as far as its synopsis goes, well, just have a look below.

Click on the poster to supersize. And by the way, this also is being released in 3D.

Could this give Pixar a run for their money?

LOOK: New poster for Bruce Willis' "Surrogates."

2009-07-05T00:13:00.000-04:00

Bruce Willis looks like he has an interesting film on his hands in the upcoming, Sept. 25, 2009 release of "Surrogates." Click on the new poster above to view it in full size. There, you'll be able to count every one of the gray hair in Bruce beard. And there are lots of them. Do the drapes match the carpet? Please take the time to consider that question.

In the meantime, when did he get so up there in the years?

Age--it's discouraging. The movie? Who knows?

If you haven't seen the very cool trailer, check it out below:

NOTFlix It: Deuce's Wild Movie, DVD Review (2009)

2009-07-04T15:49:00.000-04:00

Editor's Note: NOTFlix It is a feature meant to draw attention to older films some readers might have missed, and might consider adding to their Netflix queue, or renting at their local DVD store. Unlike our Netflix It feature, NOTFlix It is designed to keep viewers far away from all the dogs that are out there. The following review of "Deuces Wild" is the original 2002 review. And you definitely should NOTFlix It.

"Deuces Wild"

Directed by Scott Kalvert. Written by Paul Kimatian and Christopher Gambale. 97 minutes. Rated R.

While it's doubtful that Scott Kalvert intended to create an instant camp classic with his hilarious film, "Deuces Wild," that's nevertheless what he pulled off--and what a hoot.

Set on a Hollywood back lot--excuse me, set in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the summer of 1958--the film is "West Side Story" without the songs, "The Lords of Flatbush" without the Fonz, "The Wanderers" without a map, a compass, or its own way.

It's a movie about two rival gangs whose swagger and strut are so incredibly exaggerated, what's amazing about the film isn't how bad it is, but that anyone here got through it without breaking a hip.

From start to bloody finish, "Deuces Wild" is an eye-popping exercise in excess and cliches, a melodramatic cheeseball festooned in black leather, white T-shirts and jeans that hits the screen with such misguided aplomb, it can't help but eventually burst apart like a thoroughly whacked piñata.

In the film, the good-guy Deuces and the bad-guy Vipers come to throws when the Vipers decide they want to start selling drugs in the Deuces' neighborhood. That's a big no-no for the Deuces, who lost a member of their gang--a scrappy kid named Alley Boy--to a drug-related death three years before.

Alley Boy's brother, Leon (Stephen Dorf), now king of the Deuces, is determined to avenge his brother's death by making certain that the Vipers don't put a crack pipe and a bong in every home.

The problem for Leon and his crew of brass knuckleheads? The Vipers, as led by Jimmy Pockets (Balthazar Getty) and the freshly paroled Marco (Norman Reedus), are being bankrolled by the local mob boss, Fritzy (Matt Dillon), who is very comfortable with the idea that the neighborhood kiddies should be addicted to smack.

Toss into this mix a rape, some gang violence shot in slow motion, and a love affair between Leon's brother Bobby (Brad Renfro) and a tough-as-tanks babe named Annie (Fairuza Balk)--who just happens to be a sister to one of the Vipers--and the tension, you can imagine, becomes enough to make these Deuces wild.

At my screening, there were moments when I was convinced I was seeing the film with a group of asthmatics-there were those who couldn't stop gasping at the absurdity. Apparently, even MGM knows it's dealing with a dog. "Deuces Wild" has been sitting on their shelves for two years. The fact that they waited to release it opposite "Spider-Man" says it all for how the studio itself views the movie.

Grade: D-

GIVEAWAY: Mad Men: Season Two!

2009-07-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

Week in Rewind is pleased to offer a giveaway of
Mad Men: Season Two!

Own it on DVD July 14, 2009!

Thanks to our friends at Lionsgate
for this opportunity!

Product description: "Set in 1960s New York City, Mad Men explores the glamorous and ego-driven "Golden Age" of advertising, where everyone is selling something and nothing is ever what it seems. And no one plays the game better than Don Draper (Golden Globe-winner Jon Hamm), Madison Avenue's biggest ad man - and ladies' man - in the business. Returning for its second season, the Golden Globe-winning series for Best TV Drama and Actor continues to blur the lines between truth and lies, perception and reality. The world of Mad Men is moving in a new direction - can Sterling Cooper keep up? Meanwhile, the private life of Don Draper becomes complicated in a new way. What is the cost of his secret identity?”"

The contest will end on August 18, 2009.

We are giving away THREE copies.

To win on Twitter:

Follow us on Twitter. You must remain a follower for the duration of the contest.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.
Tweet the following message as often as you wish to your readers. Each Tweet counts as one entry.

Just entered the Mad Men Season 2 DVD contest! 3 Copies! Win by following @WeekinRewind and RT. http://xr.com/ofi He follows back!

To win if you're not on Twitter:

Sign up for this contest by clicking here and following all of the directions carefully.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.

That's it!

Good luck!

Christopher

New to DVD and Blu-ray Disc

2009-07-04T10:36:00.002-04:00

“The Carmen Miranda Collection”
Includes five films from the Brazilian queen of the fruited hat--and it’s a strong collection, with Fox coming through with some of Miranda’s best films, many of which lifted the sprits of plenty during the Second World War. The set features 1943’s “The Gang’s All Here,” with Miranda, Alice Fay and James Ellison all backed by Busby Berkeley and the Benny Goodman Orchestra; 1944’s “Greenwich Village,” with Miranda cast as a fortuneteller opposite Don Ameche and Vivian Blaine; and 1944’s “Something for the Boys,” in which Miranda’s Chiquita Hart literally saves herself, Vivian Blaine and Phil Silvers from financial straits. Rounding out the set are 1946’s “Doll Face” and 1946’s “If I’m Lucky,” each with Blaine and Perry Como. The latter finds Miranda singing “Bet Your Bottom Dollar,” which is exactly what audiences should do on this entertaining collection. Grade: A-

"The Glamour Collections"
From Universal, three women, three collections, 15 movies--"The Marlene Dietrich Glamour Collection," "The Mae West Glamour Collection," "The Carole Lombard Glamour Collection." So, yes, that should be enough glamour for anyone--and each is a must. In "Dietrich," fine films are assembled, including "Morocco," "Blonde Venus," "The Devil is a Woman," "Flame of New Orleans" and "Golden Earrings." For West, look for "Go West Young Man," "Goin' to Town," 'I'm No Angel," "My Little Chickadee" and "Night After Night." In "Lombard," slapstick is key in the movies "Hands Across the Table," "Love Before Breakfast," "Man of the World," "The Princess Comes Across," "True Confessions" and "We're Not Dancing." Thing is, all three of these women were dancing--sometimes literally, often metaphorically--with some scenes in these collections proving so memorable, they've become iconic. In "Morocco," for example, Dietrich dons a tux with tails and bends to kiss a woman, which caused a sensation upon the film's 1930 release. In "Blonde Venus," she appears in a monkey suit to sing "Hot Voodoo," and strips to reveal the sort of glamour for which she was known (Madonna learned plenty from her). For West, all she has to do is put a hand on her hip, flash her eyes and screw up her face, and she gets a laugh. It's the surprise that comes out of her mouth, however, that sends you over the edge. Grade: A

“Matlock: Season Three”
Andy Griffith’s career--reborn. After years of slogging through such humiliating guest appearances on such shows as “The Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island” and “Hotel,” Griffith took a cue from Raymond Burr’s “Perry Mason” and realized one of his greatest career successes in a similar show that ran from 1986-1995. This third season surpasses the first two seasons that it fully has settled into itself. On five discs, most of the episodes focus on one culprit, such as “The Other Woman,” “The Starlet,” “The Psychic,” etc. Griffith’s easy Southern charm is in stark contrast to the grisly crime series pop culture now favors, but for many, that’s exactly what will sell it. Grade: B

“Monsterquest: Complete Season Three”
The monsters are real! Well, no they’re not. Or maybe they are! But then again, maybe they’re not. Essentially, that’s how this reasonably entertaining series from the History Channel plays out, with real scientists and high-tech gadgetry hauled in to discern what might be living among us (don’t come seeking definitive answers). The monsters in question include everything from the regulars such as the Loch Ness monster to such other oddities as Cattle Killers, Swamp Stalkers and Snowbeasts. Eye witness accounts abound, some humorous--all dead serious. Grade: B-

“The Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection”
From Fox, 10 films featuring that brooding, camera-ready idol, some of them solid, a few of them good, and others only barely up to par. In it are 1936’s throwaway melodrama “Girls’ Dormitory,” with Powers appearing only fleetingly opposite Simone Simon; two energetic comedies in 1937’s “Love is News” and “Café Metropole,” with Powers waxing cute with Loretta Young. It’s Young again in 1937’s “Second Honeymoon,” but third time wasn’t exactly a charm--the movie is second rate. The same also is true for 1939’s disappointing “Daytime Wife,” but not so for 1940’s “Johnny Apollo,” by far the best in the collection, with Powers cast as a gangster in one of his best-regarded films. Look for Joan Fontaine in 1942’s very good “This Above All,” Gene Tierney in 1948’s so-so comedy “That Wonderful Urge,” Jayne Meadows and Cecil Kellaway in the unstoppable “The Luck of the Irish” and Any Blyth in 1951’s “I’ll Never Forget You,” a movie that neatly sums up how many feel about Power himself. Grade: B-

“The White Countess”
A well-acted, beautifully shot movie that’s maddening in its civility. You watch it hoping for a spark, but forget it--this last film from Merchant-Ivory leaves you feeling ambivalent. Set in 1936, the film stars Natasha Richardson as Sofia, a widowed Russian countess exiled to Shanghai who becomes a taxi dancer to pay the rent for her family (Madeleine Day, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, Madeleine Potter, John Wood). Ralph Fiennes is Todd Jackson, the blind American diplomat with a troubled past who hires Sofia to be the hostess at his swank nightclub. Before war begins, the club is a success, though the movie isn't. It keeps Sofia and Todd’s relationship at arm's length until the very end, when it’s too late to care. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

WATCH: The Box Trailer

2009-07-03T15:06:00.000-04:00

Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella have a new movie coming out. It's called (hahahahaha!) "The Box," and no, it's not what you think it's about.

The official synopsis, in fact, goes like this: "Norma and Arthur Lewis are a suburban couple with a young child who receive an anonymous gift bearing fatal and irrevocable consequences. A simple wooden box, it promises to deliver its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world...someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the crosshairs of a startling moral dilemma and face the true nature of their humanity."

The true nature of their humanity? This is a Cameron Diaz film. There can't be any humanity. As for the openly gay Marsden, it is nice to see that Hollywood is getting over itself and allowing actors to--oh, I don't know--act. Here, he's cast as Diaz's husband.

Anyway, below is the trailer. The movie opens wide on October 30, 2009. Let us know in the comments section what you think.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Movie Review (2009)

2009-07-03T10:32:00.000-04:00

Movie Review
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

Directed by Michael Bay, written by Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, 150 minutes, rated PG-13.

Michael Bay has a new movie out, and it’s a crowning achievement--the first English-language film that needs subtitles in order to understand it. It’s called “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” and it’s a shoo-in for the Razzies--Worst Foreign Language Movie in a Non Foreign Language. The film is a masterwork of banality, a champion of stupidity, one of the most over-sold wrecks of the year.

And yes, naturally, it’s the number-one movie in America.

Just why it took the top spot is easy to understand--the first film was good. It had a sense of humor, terrific special effects, nice jolts of action, and a story backed by characters we came to know and like. Mirroring that movie, this beauty also clocks in at 2.5 hours, but unlike the first film, you feel every stinking minute of it.

What happened along the way? Simple. Whereas the last movie was chaos and fun by way of the machine, this new movie is just chaos driving the machine. It’s such a relentless, over-the-top experience, a movie so determined to best the action in the previous film, that the screen can’t contain any of it, and so it spits it out.

Perhaps the best way to understand the experience of watching the movie is to stand in front of a front-loading washing machine. Pack it full with colorful clothing, toss in a few bras if you have them (something that would support, say, a woman with a figure like Megan Fox), and press start. Colors will begin to whirl, things will start to spin, you’ll recognize glimpses of what you’ve seen before, and then, if you’ve really overpacked the machine, really stuffed it full, it eventually will go off balance and shake the room until your fillings falls out. The end.

Here is a movie of two parts. On one hand, you can appreciate the special effects for the effort that went into achieving them. On the other hand, those same special effects are part of the problem. Just as the script is a muddy disaster that does nothing to inform the characters with new levels of interest, that muddiness also is reflected in the storyline, which goes something like this.

Reprising his role as Sam Witwicky is Shia LaBeouf, who is off to his first year at college when he realizes that etched into his brain are symbols the evil Decepticons need in order to harness a machine in one of Egypt’s pyramids in an effort to destroy the sun and thus all life on Earth. Oh, the Autobots are fully behind Sam, and so along with the Sam’s peeps--his love interest Mikaela Banes (Fox), Agent Simmons (John Turturro), Capt. Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sgt. Epps (Tyrese Gibson)--they all fight the big fight in an effort to keep the Decepticons down.

While nobody will accuse the movie of being light on action, action alone isn’t the only ingredient necessary to pull off a successful action movie. There must be a connection to the characters. There has to be a level of cohesion to the storyline. Our best action films aren’t those in which you only are in awe of the special effects, but those that also leave you feeling genuine concern for the survival of the characters you’ve come to admire.

On that level, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” fails so spectacularly, it trips itself up from the get-go and it falls flat on its face.

Grade: D

WATCH: Daybreakers Trailer

2009-07-02T15:43:00.000-04:00

Below is the new trailer for the upcoming horror film "Daybreakers."

The synopsis goes like this: "Edward Dalton is a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race."

Look for the film to open wide January 8, 2009. Looks good, as far as today's horror movies go. Love the shot of the bodies being sucked free of blood. Check it out here:

GIVEAWAY: Dollhouse: Season One!

2009-07-02T10:55:00.001-04:00

Week in Rewind is pleased to offer a giveaway of
Dollhouse: Season One!

Own it on DVD July 28, 2009!

Thanks to our friends at Fox Home Entertainment
for this opportunity!

Product description: "From Joss Whedon, the creative mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, comes the provocative Dollhouse, a sexy, suspenseful thriller starring the stunningly talented Eliza Dushku. As an “Active,” the mysterious Echo (Dushku) serves as an unwitting agent of Dollhouse, an illegal underground organization that provides its elite clientele with programmable human beings. Actives receive personality imprints, allowing them to temporarily become anyone or anything—the perfect burglar, lover, spy, or assassin. Now, with the FBI and her own shadowy past closing in, Echo must face a rogue Active who will stop at nothing to bring Dollhouse down—forever."

The contest will end on August 18, 2009.

We are giving away FIVE copies.

To win on Twitter:

Follow us on Twitter. You must remain a follower for the duration of the contest.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.
Tweet the following message as often as you wish to your readers. Each Tweet counts as one entry.

Just entered the DollHouse Season 1 DVD contest! 5 Copies! Win by following @WeekinRewind and RT. http://xr.com/ofi He follows back!

To win if you're not on Twitter:

Sign up for this contest by clicking here and following all of the directions carefully.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.

That's it!

Good luck!

Christopher

GIVEAWAY: So You Think You Can Dance: Cardio Funk!

2009-07-01T10:50:00.001-04:00

Week in Rewind is pleased to offer a giveaway of
So You Think You Can Dance: Cardio Funk!

Own it on DVD July 21, 2009!

Thanks to our friends at Paramount Home Entertainment
for this opportunity!

Product description: "With nearly 20 million watching each week “So You Think You Can Dance” is a pop culture sensation entering into its fifth season on air. For the first time ever, fans can tone and sculpt their bodies by moving along with the incredible dancers from the show as they demonstrate easy-to-follow routines in a variety of dance genres. Cardio Funk turns up the heat as Courtney Galiano puts viewers through their paces on the Disco floor, Travis Wall gets hearts pumping in a Contemporary routine and Lauren Gottlieb’s Hip Hop dance works up a sweat."

The contest will end on August 18, 2009.

We are giving away FIVE copies.

To win on Twitter:

Follow us on Twitter. You must remain a follower for the duration of the contest.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.
Tweet the following message as often as you wish to your readers. Each Tweet counts as one entry.

Just entered the Cardio Funk DVD contest! 5 Copies! Win by following @WeekinRewind and RT. http://xr.com/ofi He follows back!

To win if you're not on Twitter:

Sign up for this contest by clicking here and following all of the directions carefully.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.

That's it!

Good luck!

Christopher

GIVEAWAY: So You Think You Can Dance: Tone and Groove!

2009-07-01T10:35:00.001-04:00

Week in Rewind is pleased to offer a giveaway of
So You Think You Can Dance: Tone and Groove!

Own it on DVD July 21, 2009!

Thanks to our friends at Paramount Home Entertainment
for this opportunity!

Product description: "With nearly 20 million watching each week “So You Think You Can Dance” is a pop culture sensation entering into its fifth season on air. For the first time ever, fans can tone and sculpt their bodies by moving along with the incredible dancers from the show as they demonstrate easy-to-follow routines in a variety of dance genres. In Tone and Groove viewers can flex and condition their muscles with Stephen “Twitch” Boss as he takes them through a Hip Hop routine, tighten their abs with Dmitry Chaplin through the Cha Cha and then stretch it out with Katee Shean doing Jazz."

The contest will end on August 18, 2009.

We are giving away FIVE copies.

To win on Twitter:

Follow us on Twitter. You must remain a follower for the duration of the contest.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.
Tweet the following message as often as you wish to your readers. Each Tweet counts as one entry.

Just entered the Tone and Groove DVD contest! 5 Copies! Win by following @WeekinRewind and RT. http://xr.com/ofi He follows back!

To win if you're not on Twitter:

Sign up for this contest by clicking here and following all of the directions carefully.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.

That's it!

Good luck!

Christopher

STANDARD GIVEAWAY/TWITTER GIVEAWAY: Playstation 3!

2009-06-30T22:25:00.005-04:00

What better way to celebrate the upcoming July 4, 2009 weekend than with a major giveaway? We've given away a couple of these in the past, and we're giving away our third now. It's the Playstation 3, it plays standard DVDs, high-resolution Blu-ray discs, and some of the most killer games going. And you also can surf the Web on this baby. It's got it all.

But how to win?

As always at WeekinRewind.com, winning is simple--even for a $299 item.

For those on Twitter, you do have to be a member of Twitter to play.

Here are the rules:

Leave a comment on this post that you have entered.
Follow me on Twitter for the duration of the contest.
Tweet the following message to your followers often:

I've entered the Playstation 3 contest! You can win by following @WeekinRewind and RETWEET OFTEN. http://xr.com/49c He follows back too!

That's it! So easy! And I'll follow everybody who follows the Week in Rewind Twitter account.

------------------------------------

TRADITIONAL PLAY: Don't want to Twitter? No problem. We've devised a scheme just for you. Just go to the A-Z directory and start clicking through the listings until you find a variation of the words "Playstation 3" at the end of the review.

We make things easy here. For instance, you can't go wrong if you look through the "A" section. See--practically giving it away.

The phrase will be in red. Once you find it, go to this page, fill out the information, send me an email with the names of the listings that have some variation of "Playstation 3" at the end of the review, and you'll be in it to win it!

DO NOT REVEAL TO ANYONE THE LOCATION OF THE WORDS. DO NOT POST THE LOCATIONS ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE.

The contest ends on August 31, 2009, and the Playstation 3 will be shipped overnight to the winner. I'll post the winner's name (with their permission) on Sept. 1, 2009.

FIND ALL OF OUR MAJOR GIVEAWAYS HERE.

Good luck!

Christopher

FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER: The Best of Mr. Bean!

2009-06-30T12:59:00.002-04:00

The winner of our Facebook Giveaway contest for The Best of Mr. Bean is:

Jean Hallinan

Please get back to me at weekinrewind@aol.com with your addresses, and this will ship out next week.

Thanks to all for playing--more to come. If you're not a fan of our Facebook page, become one here for the exclusive giveaways, movie news, trailer and reviews.

Spreading the word on your Facebook page would be a big help.

Thanks!

Christopher

FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER: Something Beneath!

2009-06-30T12:56:00.003-04:00

The winner of our Facebook Giveaway contest for Something Beneath is:

Sheree Warner

Please get back to me at weekinrewind@aol.com with your addresses, and this will ship out next week.

Thanks to all for playing--more to come. If you're not a fan of our Facebook page, become one here for the exclusive giveaways, movie news, trailer and reviews.

Spreading the word on your Facebook page would be a big help.

Thanks!

Christopher

New to DVD and Blu-ray Disc

2009-06-30T10:28:00.000-04:00

"America at War"
From A&E and the History Channel, a well done, 14-disc collection that explores our nation's war efforts, beginning with the American Revolution and the Alamo and following straight through to our conflicts in the Persian Gulf and our ongoing war in Iraq. Newsreel and archival footage add weight and interest to the already substantial commentary provided by experts in the field, and especially by those who lived through some of the events themselves. As with any undertaking this massive, there are sticking points. While the Vietnam, Korean and WWI coverage seem unusually truncated by being limited to only one disc each, the American Revolution warrants three discs, while World War II is offered exploration on only two discs. Finally, while the quality of this set doesn't rise to the level of a documentary by, say, Ken Burns, it does an admirable job offering enough insightful angles to allow for a solid overview. Grade: B+

“The Private Life of a Masterpiece: Complete Seasons 1-5”
A fascinating series that roams the world to study and explore 20 famous pieces of art, from such Renaissance masterpieces as Piero della Francesca’s “The Resurrection” and Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” to such Impressionist works as Van Gogh’s “The Sunflowers” and Auguste Renoir’s “Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.” Also in this award-winning set are revealing observations of Edouard Manet’s “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe,” Whistler’s iconic painting of his mother in the then-controversial “Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist’s Mother,” and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” The value of this collection is evident at the start: In spite of how well known these works are, the art historians assembled to discus them nevertheless manage to build drama through insight, such as when they explore “Michelangelo’s David” or Rodin’s “The Kiss.” In doing so, “The Private Life of a Masterpiece” neatly skirts the pitfalls of mainstream familiarity to offer the surprise of something new, a fresh angle we might not have considered, and the richness that rests within. Grade: A

“There’s Something About Mary” Blu-ray
Eleven years out, the film bears at least some responsibility for the continued decline of our culture, but it has held up and it remains funny. The film follows Mary (Cameron Diaz), a blonde-haired, blue-eyed bombshell with a whole lot of chutzpah, charm and je ne sais quoi. There’s something about her smile, something about her golf swing, something about the hair gel she uses, something about the men she chooses, and even something about her neighbor’s dog that makes her an absolute target for tomfoolery, buffoonery and, from time to time, even blasphemy. The film begins with a young, nerdish Ben Stiller snagging his manhood in a zipper while on his way to the prom with Mary (“We’ve got a bleeder!”), and disintegrates from there with sight gag after sight gag--until some, those with weaker stomachs, literally will be left gagging. But in a good way. Rated R. Grade: B+

"The Transformers: Special Edition” Blu-ray
With the new sequel just out in theaters, now is the time check out the high-definition version of the original. It clocks in at nearly 21⁄2 hours but it greases by without ever feeling as long. Shia LaBeouf is Sam Witwicky, a genial nerd caught in a plot that finds Earth under attack by the Decepticons, huge robots in search of the Allspark, a giant cube that, if found, will allow these beasts the devastating powers of evil they seek. Working against them are the Autobots, who also are seeking the Allspark but who instead want to use its power for good. Since neither the Decepticons nor the Autobots know where the Allspark is located on Earth, anything goes in their efforts to find it. Though Megan Fox, Anthony Anderson John Voight and John Turturro co-star, the real stars of the show are the Transformers themselves, whose incorporation into the film's real-life surroundings is as seamless a feat as you could imagine. Rated PG-13. Grade: B+

“Waltz with Bashir” DVD, Blu-ray
Folman’s Academy Award-nominated “Waltz with Bashir” is about the ramifications of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre that took the lives of hundreds of unarmed men, women and children during the Lebanon war. It uses animation not only as a means to generate the film’s stunning imagery--you’ve never seen a war movie quite like this war movie. More profoundly, it employs the animated form as a method of underscoring the surreal and hallucinatory aspects of war, and all the varied difficulties of coping in the wake of war. As such, it takes a medium best known for pleasing tots and uses it to inform its story and characters in ways that real life couldn’t. This isn’t new (Richard Linklater’s “Waking Life” did it, as did others) but the way it’s handled here is something of a contradiction--a beautiful-looking film about an ugly, unthinkable event. If Folman had chosen to tell his story via live action, it goes without saying that the film’s mix of horror and bloodshed would be anything but beautiful, but it is here. And what are we to make of that? Rated R. Grade: A

NOTFlix It: The Astronaut's Wife DVD, Movie Review (2009)

2009-06-27T15:09:00.006-04:00

Editor's Note: NOTFlix It is a feature meant to draw attention to older films some readers might have missed, and might consider adding to their Netflix queue, or renting at their local DVD store. Unlike our Netflix It feature, NOTFlix It is designed to keep viewers far away from all the dogs that are out there. The following review of "The Astronaut's Wife," never published here before, is the original 1999 review. And you definitely should NOTFlix It.

Movie, DVD Review
"The Astronaut’s Wife"

Rand Ravich’s “The Astronaut’s Wife” is one small step in Ravich’s career, and one giant leap backward for the psychological drama. It dares to go where few films have gone before--absolutely nowhere.

The film stars Johnny Depp as Spencer Armacost, a NASA astronaut who loses two minutes of consciousness while on a mission in space. It’s what happened to Spencer--and to his dumb astronaut buddy, Alex (Nick Cassavetes)--that’s supposedly at the core of this film.

But the film’s script is full of black holes. Since the story is first about the great love supposedly shared between Spencer and his wife, Jillian (Charlize Theron), it’s absolutely essential that we believe in their love. Only then will we care when it’s threatened by extraterrestrial events.

But there’s no chemistry between the actors, no life in their bones. Ravich saturates his film in such cold, steely blues, Depp and Theron become two blocks of ice sliding about onscreen. For instance, each time they hit the sack, which is often, one half-expects some cash to be left on a bedside table.

Worse is Depp’s performance. Why Ravich insisted on having the actor speak in a slow, dim-witted Southern drawl is beyond comprehension--throughout, he sounds less like a bright, wealthy astronaut responsible for billions of dollars in technology than a man selling sides of pork out of a backwoods trailer.

Theron holds up better, but that’s only because she delivered the exact same performance in 1997’s “The Devil’s Advocate.”

Unlike, say, M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense,” “Wife” isn’t a sustained piece of work. It’s learned nothing from the canon, certainly nothing from the genre itself, because it exists in a sort of vacuum. Sure, the sets are terrific, but it’s cheaper and more satisfying to purchase an issue of Metropolitan Home.

In the end, it comes down to the characters--it always does--and Ravich’s characters are dead on the screen, cadavers with moving mouths and watery eyes who have no connection to themselves, to the story or to the audience.

Let’s send them--and this rotten film--straight to the moon.

Grade: D-

FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY: Something Beneath!

2009-06-27T13:59:00.002-04:00

Another exclusive giveaway via our fan page on Facebook. It's the horror movie "Something Beneath," and its official synopsis is this:

Terror Waits Just Below The Surface.

When attendees at an ecological conference begin to report strange happenings, an event coordinator (Natalie Brown, Dawn of the Dead) learns the gruesome truth: a slime-like organism is causing humans to behave in a terrifying manner. Together with a brave priest (Kevin Sorbo, Hercules) she must race against time to evacuate the guests before more fall victim to the horror that lurks right underneath them. Also starring Brendan Beiser (Stargate SG-1)..

To enter, just become a fan of WeekinRewind on Facebook here and comment on the post. The winner will be selected on June 30, 2009.

That's it!

Good luck!

Christopher

FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY:The Best of Mr. Bean Vol. 2!

2009-06-27T13:55:00.003-04:00

Another exclusive giveaway via our fan page on Facebook. It's "The Best of Mr. Bean Vol. 2," and its official synopsis is this:

Starring the incomparable Rowan Atkinson (Johnny English, Mr. Bean's Holiday), Mr. Bean has won a tin full of international awards and built a cult following around the globe that's well, frankly, a little frightening.

First unleashed in 1989, the classic British series is an irresistible comedy montage of Atkinson's silent and physically outrageous comedy. From embarrassing clothing mix-ups and mini golf mayhem to learning the perils of an "all you can eat" buffet and bath-time blunders, The Best Of Mr. Bean: Volume 2 features six top-rated episodes with some of the most uproarious, side-splitting sketches in Bean history.

Episodes Include:
- Mr. Bean Goes to Town
- Mr. Bean Rides Again
- Mr. Bean in Room 426
- Back to School Mr. Bean
- Tee Off, Mr. Bean
- Goodnight, Mr. Bean.

To enter, just become a fan of WeekinRewind on Facebook here and comment on the post. The winner will be selected on June 30, 2009.

That's it!

Good luck!

Christopher

Confessions of a Shopaholic: DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review (2009)

2009-06-27T13:43:00.003-04:00

DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review
"Confessions of a Shopaholic"

Directed by P.J. Hogan, written by Tracey Jackson, Tim Firth and Kayla Albert, 100 minutes, rated PG.

“Confessions of a Shopaholic” is the sort of movie that would either make financial guru Suze Orman combust or send her into shock. After the film, you can just see poor Orman lying in front of her television stuttering the word “denied” until someone took her away.

For the rest of us, the film should at least cause a moment’s pause, particularly since its DVD and Blu-ray version arrive in the wake of so many bailouts and buyouts, a stimulus plan, struggling markets, foreclosures, job losses and bankruptcies.

Here is a movie about a young woman so reckless when it comes to maxing out her credit cards in an effort to help out her best friend--that would be her closet--that the idea of pitying her when she lands into financial trouble might prove difficult for some to do.

At least on paper.

The good news is that the woman in question, Rebecca Bloomwood, is played by Isla Fisher, who is so winning in the role, she’s pretty much impossible not to like in spite of her character being such a slight, financial screw-up.

Looking weirdly like Amy Adams (click the photo to supersize--Fisher is on the right), Fisher is, in fact, the best part of a movie that’s otherwise a mixed bag of elements you either want to exchange or keep. The film’s best scenes are revealed in its trailer--always a downer--and while other moments do score a few laughs, there aren’t enough of them for the movie to be anything more than a slightly above-average comedy.

In the film, life turns sour for Rebecca when the gardening magazine at which she works suddenly folds. Struck dumb by the amount of money she owes to various creditors, this Manhattan-based fashionista is pressed into action and hustles to find a job. Her hope is to land a position at Allette, a magazine not unlike Vogue, but when circumstances conspire against her, she decides to lie about her past in an interview with the editor of a financial magazine and snags a job as one of its columnists. The irony!

Naturally, her new editor (Hugh Dancy) is young, single and good looking. Predictably, a budding relationship blooms between them. Unfortunately, in an effort to retain his interest in her, Rebecca feels she must to lie about every corner of her unraveling life to be worthy of him. With bold, brassy strokes, she colors her world not in the red ink it deserves, but in the brightness of stability and financial responsibility, two qualities Rebecca lacks.

Will it all catch up with her? Holy Manolo, what do you think?

Based on Sophie Kinsella’s best selling novel, the film is so sandbagged by rote rhythms, it steals away much of the spontaneity Fisher brings to her performance. And it’s a good performance, one deserving of a better movie that took chances, ditched the cliches, and came through with all the freshness Fisher emotes.

Grade: C+

Check out the trailer below:

Waltz with Bashir: DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review (2009)

2009-06-26T23:05:00.002-04:00

Movie, DVD, Blu-ray Review
Waltz with Bashir

Written and directed by Ari Folman, 87 minutes, rated R. In Hebrew, German and English, with English subtitles.

Ari Folman’s Academy Award-nominated “Waltz with Bashir” is about the ramifications of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre that took the lives of hundreds of unarmed men, women and children during the Lebanon war.

It uses animation not only as a means to generate the film’s stunning imagery--you’ve never seen a war movie quite like this war movie. More profoundly, it employs the animated form as a method of underscoring the surreal and hallucinatory aspects of war, and all the varied difficulties of coping in the wake of war.

As such, it takes a medium best known for pleasing tots and uses it to inform its story and characters in ways that real life couldn’t.

This isn’t new (Richard Linklater’s “Waking Life” did it, as did others) but the way it’s handled here is something of a contradiction--a beautiful-looking film about an ugly, unthinkable event. If Folman had chosen to tell his story via live action, it goes without saying that the film’s mix of horror and bloodshed would be anything but beautiful, but it is here. And what are we to make of that? In this case, one shouldn’t assume any disrespect on Folman’s part--the dark color palette he chooses to use alone is enough to suggest shame.

Folman based his script on his own experiences as an Israeli soldier in the Lebanon war, and what he has created is a film geared specifically toward adults that carves into the subconscious and explores what doesn’t want to be remembered or revealed. For Folman, it was this: He and his fellow soldiers knowingly allowed Christian Phalangists to enter a Palestinian refugee camp and go on a killing spree.

The movie begins with a jolt of terror. Twenty-six dogs--all ravenous, wild and hungry for blood--are seen rushing through city streets, their fangs bared, their eyes burning orange against gray coats sharp with angles only animation could create. Their target is a man named Boaz, who awakens from this nightmare to question the reasons why he continues to have it.

For counsel, he goes to his friends, including Folman, who now must confront his own lack of memories surrounding the war. Bizarre dreams start to strike and with them, the pull for answers and the need to face the darkness he himself has buried. This is key: Even if he didn’t fire one bullet himself, by standing silent so that massacre could happen, how much blood does he have on his hands?

It’s a question for the ages, and it’s just one of the reasons why “Waltz with Bashir” is so relevant to the here and now.

Grade: A

View the trailer here:

NOTFlix It: Stepmom: Movie, DVD Review (2009)

2009-06-26T22:39:00.007-04:00

Editor's Note: NOTFlix It is a feature meant to draw attention to older films some readers might have missed, and might consider adding to their Netflix queue, or renting at their local DVD store. Unlike our Netflix It feature, NOTFlix It is designed to keep viewers far away from all the dogs that are out there. The following review of "Stepmom," never published here before, is the original 1999 review. And you definitely should NOTFlix It.

Movie, DVD Review
“Stepmom”

Directed by Chris Columbus, written by Gigi Levangie, Jessie Nelson, Steven Rogers, Karen Leigh Hopkins and Ron Bass, 124 minutes, ated PG-13.

Chris Columbus’ “Stepmom” is the perfect film for those who are content with low entertainment, those who come to films not to see something fresh or new, but to be force fed old ideas and tired clichés as performed by actors who, like dish rags, are absolutely interchangeable.

For others, those with more discerning tastes who prefer substance over trash, “Stepmom” likely will disappoint, particularly since the film wastes a perfect opportunity to explore real issues with step-parenting in the late 1990s.

At its heart--and “Stepmom” wants you to know it has a very big, very warm heart--the film stands as a shining monument to the embarrassingly manipulative, the sickeningly sweet, the hopelessly maudlin. Its sole purpose is not so much to entertain as it is to make you feel something--anything--in a desperate attempt to make you cry.

The film stars Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon, two women who should have known better than to join forces in such silly, sentimental hog wash. As Isabel, a big city fashion photographer who lives with the very dull Luke (Ed Harris), Roberts must come to terms with the very difficult Jackie (Sarandon), Luke’s former wife whose two very hurt and very confused children predictably dislike Isabel, but who eventually come to love her because, well, that’s how films like this turn out.

The film’s five writers--yes, five were brought on board, all of whom clearly only dropped by to add their favorite clichés to the script--apparently felt compelled to soften Sarandon’s character not by having her work through her jealousy and accept her ex-husband’s new love, but by giving her cancer--yes, cancer--and thus putting her through chemotherapy, which allows us all to watch her suffer.

What fun! It's a terrific learning experience for her, and for the audience.

To Sarandon’s credit, she has her affecting moments, somehow digging deep to make the material work, but the addition of cancer into a story that’s essentially about step-parenting feels so forced and artificially constructed, it ultimately takes away from her performance...while also disrespecting those people actually living with cancer.

“Terms of Endearment” and “One True Thing” never crossed that line, instead allowing cancer into their storylines in ways that seemed natural, something “Stepmom” couldn’t understand because the film itself is so unnatural--the characters, the situations, the settings, the “Reader’s Digest” dialogue.

Pity. In the end, there are no surprises in “Stepmom,” whose hallmark isn’t so much its courage and great glimpses of insight as it is its overwhelming lack of courage and insight. But there is nausea, lots of bubbling nausea, most of which has nothing to do with Sarandon’s chemotherapy.

Grade: D+

WINNER ANNOUNCED: iPod Touch!

2009-06-26T22:06:00.004-04:00

We have a winner for our iPod Touch Giveaway, and it is:

Sandy Bell of North Dakota!

Sandy emailed the hell out of this giveaway, consistently sending in the correct reviews that contained the word "iPod Touch" in them. Good job!

Please congratulate Sandy! As most of you know, we use the Random Integer Generator (found here) to choose our winners fairly and squarely. Sandy's number came up--and she's the winner.

Thanks for all who played. A new major giveaway coming shortly.

Christopher

GIVEAWAY: Reno 911: Complete Sixth Season!

2009-06-26T21:58:00.002-04:00

Week in Rewind is pleased to offer a giveaway of
Reno 911: Complete Sixth Season!

Own it on DVD July 7, 2009!

Thanks to our friends at Paramount Home Entertainment
and Comedy Central for this opportunity!

Product description: "Locked, cocked and ready to rock, your favorite deputies are back for another season of “Reno 911!” Armed with the arrival of two new officers (the gun-loving Deputy Frank Rizzo and the cantankerous Sergeant Jack Declan), a bevy of guest stars (Nick Swardson, Jonah Hill, Patton Oswalt) and some usual suspects (Terry, the roller-skating prostitute), the sixth season delivers everything you’ve come to know and love from the deputies of the Reno Sheriff’s Department…namely, questionable workplace attire, botched assignments, and egregious displays of incompetence.

Special Features:

* Reno Department Presents: Office Policies and Workplace Etiquette
* Module 1: "Proper Workplace Hygiene: Germs and You!"
* Module 2: “Sexual Harassment: ‘It's Your Right to Say No’”
* Module 3: “Sexual Harassment – Part 2: Is This Sexual Harassment?”
* Module 4: “Nailing the Interview”
* Module 5: “Stress in the Workplace”
* Module 6: “Diversity Training: A Personal Experience”
* Module 7: “Reno’s Green Initiative Update”
* Module 8: “Appropriate Topics for Workplace Discussion”
* Reno Officers at Mardi Gras"

The contest will end on August 18, 2009.

We are giving away FIVE copies.

To win on Twitter:

Follow us on Twitter. You must remain a follower for the duration of the contest.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.
Tweet the following message as often as you wish to your readers. Each Tweet counts as one entry.

Just entered the Reno 911 Season 6 DVD contest! 5 Copies! Win by following @WeekinRewind and RT. http://xr.com/ofi He follows back!

To win if you're not on Twitter:

Sign up for this contest by clicking here and following all of the directions carefully.
Leave a comment on this page that you entered this contest.

That's it!

Good luck!

Christopher