DVD Review: "Il Divo"

I've never been a big fan of movie biographies. While they have their moments, they tend to be too long or try to fit too much information into their 2 - 3 hour run time. If the movie starts off with the birth of the main character in which the biography is based off of... I know I'm in for a long, grueling experience. While this isn't true for "Il Divo", a film about Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotii, it still manages to be a bit slow.

One positive aspect of this film is the way it was shot. It's full of beautiful tracking shots and stylized sequences (most notably the death scene's and the characters introductions). In terms of music, it's very diverse, but the majority consists of classical symphony's... which work very well with their corresponding scenes. The acting was also excellent, especially Toni Servilo, who plays Andreotii.

Because of these aspects, I really wanted to enjoy the film, and I did to some degree. But after the initial setup, it went down the same road as every other bio-pic... it started to drag. It spent too much time on the lead up to Andreotii's trial (after he was accusted of mafia connections). Rather than spending time on the trial itself, the film ends right as the trial begins. This could have worked, if the events leading up to it were more engaging. But alas, most of the time is spent watching Andreotii sit and stare into space with a nervous expression on his face, or watch his political associates discussing his agenda. It could have been so much better had the writer/director chosen more interesting events to follow.

I loved the way the film looked, I loved the acting, and I loved certain visual aspects of some of the sequences... but in the end, it fell flat because it just wasn't engaging enough (mostly because it's hard to sympathize with Andreotii, who isn't a very likable person). However, I think it deserves this rating for production value alone.

My Rating: 5 out of 10

DVD Review: "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure"

Alright, so... in case you couldn't tell by the title, this is another one of Disney's direct-to-DVD movies. While the majority of their theatrical releases are successful (not to mention fun to watch), their DVD releases tend to be the exact opposite. This latest installment, titled "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" is a spin off of Peter Pan... except he is no where to be seen in this one. The star is Peter Pan's silent companion Tink (even though she's not silent at all here).

This critique will be fairly short because there's not much to critique. It's a movie designed for children and family, and that's all it tries to be. The plot is: Tinker Bell is given the honor of constructing the anual "pixi dust sceptre" for the grand ceremony of creating pixi dust. However, after breaking it by accident, she must travel to a far away ship that contains a treasure that will help her reconstruct the sceptre.

The andventure is rather short, and there is very little excitement to be had. Even the climax (which involves Tink and her best friend Terence running away from evil rats) falls flat. There is no antagonist. The main conflict has to do with... you guessed it... friendship! Tink and Terrence get in a fight, that causes them to stop being friends for a while. Will they become friends again?? I know you're dying to find out, but what kind of critic would I be to give away the ending...

Long story short, "Tinkbell and the Lost Treasure" is a short, cute family film... but it's instantly forgettable and definitely not anywhere near Disney's best.

My Rating: 4 out of 10

DVD Review: "Food Inc."

It's no secret that the food industry isn't exactly... let's say, genuine. We know about the large amount of preservatives that are injected into the majority of the food we buy at the supermarket. Not to mention that fast food almost can't be considered "real" food, due to how processed it is. I guess the first thing we should ask ourselves is, "how do we know all of this in the first place?". Well, ever since the now classic documentary "Super Size Me" gave people a behind the scene's look at what goes on behind the fast food counter, we have become more aware of the health risks that come with eating a big mac. Over the past years, numerous news segments and documentaries have made us aware of the other negative aspects of food production... most notably what goes on in the dreaded slaughter house. All of this and more is described in "Food Inc."

This can be considered the mothership of everything related to the food industry. And while it's convenient that's it's all packed into a nice 90 minute documentary... it's really nothing new. I really wanted to be enlightened and shocked by the information that was shared with me, but I've seen it all before. I know that corn is in almost every food product; I know that the meat industry cares more about money more than our health; I know that food is genetically altered for easier distribution and customer consumption. It was basically taking all of the info from the past several years and reiterating it. I'm not saying that it's a bad documentary because of this... it's just not all that original, and very little of it surprised me.

However, political aspects pertaining to certain food companies were introduced... and I have to say, they were rather interesting. The way they were portrayed would make one relate these large corporations to SPECTRE (the evil organization that showed up in several James Bond Flicks). They are all attempting to overtake the food industry in the same way the SPECTRE tried to rule the world. On a diferent note, it's always hard, as well as heartbreaking, to watch footage from the slaughterhouses. It may not be pleasant, but I think it's important for everyone to see some of this footage, and plenty of it is shown throughout this film ( and, believe it or not, the footage in this film is the most "viewer friendly" footage I've seen).

While it had it's moments, I found this movie to be interesting... but it didn't have much of an impact on me because I'm familiar with most of the information that's presented. I'm sure many people will find this movie to be an eye opener (not everyone has family members who are semi-health freaks like yours truly), and it's definitely well-made and has a clear message. I almost wish I could have viewed it knowing nothing about the food industry, so I could get the full effect.

My Rating: 5 out of 10

DVD Review: "The Killing Room"

When I heard about the basic plot outline of "The Killing Room", the first thing that popped into my head was... Saw. Think about it... strangers trapped in a room together, one one is allowed to leave the room, and they are forced to answer trivia questions that determine who is killed. On top of that, the room they are all trapped in is white... which was the color that the bathroom was in the original "Saw" where the two main characters were trapped. That being said, I didn't have very high hopes for this one.

I was wrong.

From the very beginning, I was immediately sucked into it, and stayed that way until the final frame. This movie doesn't feel like "Saw" at all. In fact, it's a thriller as opposed to a horror movie. There aren't any serial killers or torture contraptions. The whole situation is a controlled experiment called MK-Ultra (which was a CIA mind-control program that began in the 50's, but vanished after an investigation began... it's explained in the opening credits). The head of the operation is Dr. Phillips, played by character actor Peter Stormare. He was an excellent villan as always, made even more scary by his lack of sympathy for the "test subjects".

On that subject, I was surprised at how good the acting was. Usually, films that go straight to DVD have terrible acting, but the performances in this were phenomenal. Who knew that Nick Cannon was capable of such a powerful performance? The other strong point of the film was the music. Relying mostly on strings, composer Brian Tyler has created on of the most emotional and haunting scores I've heard in a while. Although it's repetitive, it created a mood that lasted through the entire run time.

I could go on... but I think it's safe to say that this is a must see for people who enjoy a good suspense thriller. It will have you hooked right when the opening credits begin. This chilling, gripping feature is my favorite of the genre so far this year.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

New Review: "Uncertainty"

Ever since starring in the indie hit, "Brick", Joseph Gordon Levitt has become on of the greatest actors working today. I can't think of a bad movie he's been in ( yes, I enjoyed "GI Joe"). The majority of the films he's been in have been low budget or character driven movies. His latest is "Uncertainty", a strange film that made me feel uncertain about whether I liked it or not (yes, that was an intended pun).

Our main couple, Bobby (Levitt) and Kate (Lyn Collins) are on the Brooklyn Bridge when it starts, discussing a choice that they have to make. After flipping a coin to decide on the unknown dispute, they run in separate directions, meeting up with each other on both ends of the bridge. If that sounds confusing, it's because it is. Basically, the entire movie is two parallel story lines, both with the same two main characters. This is never explained... we just have to accept that they are in seperate time lines. One story is a drama, the other is a thriller. Two movies in one.

I'm guessing that the title not only refers to how the characters feel for most of the film... but also how the filmmakers felt when they shot this. It's just bizzarre how they don't offer any sort of explanation as to why the same people are in seperate dimensions. The thriller storyline is titled "Yellow" and the drama stroyline is titled "Green" (and the characters are dressed in the corresponding colors). I loved the Yellow story. It was very exciting and suspensful, contained great music, and it was shot like a Jason Bourne movie. The Green story contained character arcs... but it never went anywhere. In fact, if the Green story were a film on it's own, it would be the worlds most boring movie.

It was just Bobby and Kate finding a stray dog, then going to a family bbq, then going home. We find out about Kates relationship with her Mom... but other than that, it barely served any purpose. Whenever it switched from the Yellow story to the Green story, my heart sank... because I was really into the thriller aspects. The movie also drags on before reaching the final act.

Like I said, I have mixed feelings. The performances by Levitt and Collins were definitely top notch, and they had excellent chemistry together (which helped get me through the slow parts). It had some very strong moments, and a few really intense chase sequences... but in the end, I was confused and wondered what the filmmakers were thinking when they wrote the script. They must have felt a great sense of [insert title of movie] .

My Rating: 6 out of 10

DVD Review: "Medicine for Melancholy"

Romance is found everywhere. Walking down a street in any city, you will find several couples on every block. Every day, people fall in love, get hurt, or break up. Now, the break up is usually caused by one of two things... and that's a) one person or both people in the relationship fall out of love or b) one person in the relationship cheats on the other. The latter is explored in great detail in the indie flick, "Medicine for Melancholy".

Starring Wyat Cenac (who most people will know as one of the correspondents from "The Daily Show"), this surprising little movie takes place over the course of one day. It begins with Micah (Cenac) and 'Jo (Tracey Heggins) waking up after a one night stand. After an initial awkward breakfast, the two spend the rest of the day together, getting closer and closer. The downside? 'Jo has a boyfriend.

While it would normally be difficult to route for the cheating girlfriend, 'Jo and Micah are both extremely likeable characters, and as they grow closer, I found myself routing for them to get together (even though she was being unfaithful). It shows the greatly disreguarded positive side to cheating. I know that sounds terrible... but our two main characters seem to be unhappy when the movie starts. But after meeting each other, they slowly become happy... experiencing love in what seems to be a long time for both of them. Starting off completely black & white... color slowly starts to appear around them as they become happier.

I really liked this movie. It's very slow paced... but it's a very realistic love story that's shot in a gritty style (as oppossed to you typical "magical Hollwood romance"). It took me a while to accept Wyat's character as a regular human being after seeing him goof off in "The Daily Show"... but once I got used to him being human, he was a very honest and likable guy. On top of that, the ending really plays with your heartstrings. Is it a happy or sad ending, you might ask? I'll let you find out.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

New Avatar Trailer!

While the first trailer for James Cameron's "Avatar" was a big let down for movie goer's, the latest trailer that premiered last week seems a lot more promising. I don't know about you guys, but the combination of IMAX 3D and James Cameron directing makes this my greatest aticipated movie of the year.
Watch it here