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New DVD Releases: Zombieland, Amelia, Love Happens

Andrew Payne — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:42:40 +0000

After a couple weeks of DVD release randomness, we finally get a bona fide blockbuster rolling on to silver disc as Zombieland invades homes in all its gory glory.

It’s joined by the usual motley crew of releases, including a Hilary Swank movie that you absolutely forgot was released this year. Plus there’s tons of TV and true classic (see: old) hitting shelves this week.

Check it all out…

FEATURE FILMS

Zombieland

Has there ever been a more perfect premise for a movie than Zombieland?

Deep down, we all want a movie that is just non-stop killing. This feeds the delightful bloodlust in us all, that we would only dare carry out through another medium like a video game or the movies. But when the victims of the screen-shown bloodshed are actual humans, we feel inherent guilt. That’s why killing zombies is so brilliant.

We don’t feel any guilt when we slay those who have risen from the grave. They’re no longer humans! But they’re humanoid enough to let us live out our cops-and-robbers fantasies right on the big screen.

So if you feel a need to satiate your blodlust, it’s hard to better than with this DVD.

Amelia

I think we need a term for movies like Amelia because they come along every year.

They come along in movies like Australia and The Human Stain, films that are made with one goal in mind – to win Oscars – and fail miserably in that task.

Because the commercial appeal of these films is so dependent on those awards, they always tank and nobody remembers they exist about two years later.

So what do we call this type of movie? I’d call it a Garbage Can Film. That’s because these movies undoubtedly have a lot of pre-release paper made for them. Things like layouts for FYC ads, invitations to screenings, and posters touting the rave reviews. All of this ends up in the garbage can about two weeks after the film’s release.

Plus, Oscar the Grouch lived in a garbage can. So it’s fiitting.

That means, the only way you can prevent Amelia from becoming a Garbage Can Film is to buy the DVD.

Also:

TV ON DVD

Game Show DVDs

That’s right. The DVD gods have finally saw it fit to give us episodes of old game shows on DVD!

And these aren’t just any old game shows. We’re talking about “The Price is Right”, “Match Game” and “Family Feud” coming to disc with dozens of episodes for your viewing pleasure. That’s Gene, Bob and Richard all available to own.

Most of these episodes come from the 70s (the best time for half-drunk contestants and hosts) allowing you to run your own GSN channel right from your DVD player. Really, this game show on DVD development could be the most exciting wrinkle to the DVD behemoth yet. Here’s hoping “Press Your Luck” is next.

Also:

“Beverly Hills 90210”: Season 9 – Buy Now
“Dynasty”: Season 4, Vol. 2 – Buy Now
“Head Case”: Season 2 – Buy Now
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”: Season 6 – Buy Now
“Murder She Wrote”: Season 11 – Buy Now

SPECIAL EDITION OF THE WEEK

Wolfman: Universal Legacy Collection

This DVD was supposed to come out on September 15th of last year, then it mysteriously was pushed back to the second of February.

Hmm. . .why would that be? Could it be that a certain movie starring Benecio Del Toro as Anthony Hopkins’ son (apparently I don’t understand genetics) is about to roll into theaters after it was supposed to come out last November?

No. There’s no way something like that could happen, right? DVD synergy isn’t that shameless.

Anyway, here is the feature set for this new Special Edition DVD.

Commentary by film historian Tom Weaver
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth,
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney Jr,
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce,
Monsters by Moonlight
The Wolf Man Archives
Universal Horror documentary narrated by Kenneth Branagh

What DVDs are you looking forward to buying this week?

Amelia Movie Review

Justine JC — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:47:06 +0000

The acclaimed ensemble of artists responsible for the utter disappointment that is Amelia proves that Oscars and STARmeters don’t guarantee interminable success in the entertainment industry. Amelia Earhart, a rare spirit who dared to dream in a man’s world is not only one of the primary female American icons, but is accountable for significantly advancing the age of aviation. Translation: excellent foundation for a triumphant biopic!

Continue on for the grueling details of a butchered idea…

The Players:

Director: Mira Nair (The Namesake, Vanity Fair)
Cast: Hilary Swank (two-time Academy Award winner) Richard Gere (Golden Globe winner) and Ewan McGregor (Golden Globe nominee)
Writers: Ron Bass (Academy Award winner) and Anna Hamilton Phelan

The Plot:

The Earhart legend ignites after she becomes the first female to successfully fly across the Atlantic. She immediately develops global celebrity status, and is deemed the American sweetheart, or “goddess of light.” The movie hi-lights her bold, relentless ambition to set records with her ultimate round-the-world mission, and the love triangle between her husband/promoter George P. Putnam (Gere) and longtime friend/lover, pilot Gene Vidal (McGregor).

The Bad:

Ten-minutes in I had to remind myself that, yes, I was indeed at a press screening and not in a UCLA auditorium screening a student film. The writing, the acting, the cinematography, and the editing was entirely trite and in no way even mildly legato. The shot choices, the needless voice-over, the painfully insipid dialogue, and most laughably, the consistent dramatic fades into the course of Earhart’s world-wide journey (the narrative frame-work of the film) collectively rendered me baffled. That being said, let’s get specific:

Story Structure: There was very little story development, and most of the alleged “pinnacles” were in no way supported by or prefaced with any logical progression. (Suddenly, Putnam kisses her, and they’re married! Suddenly, amidst her escalating fame, she stumbles on the most illustrious depression in the history of America! Suddenly, she’s having an affair, but her husband recovers over night and buys her an 80 thousand dollar aircraft!) It was as if crucial transitional pieces of the story had simply slipped out of the final cut.
Swank’s Performance: With two Oscars on your mantelpiece, emotional stagnancy in a performance doesn’t cut it. Swank’s overall delivery barely scratched the surface of mediocrity, and while the writing didn’t exactly allow for much visible character evolution, the scale of her character’s potential sentiments still exceeded the seemingly drug-induced smiles and giggles she offered us. The varying derivatives of her attempted Amelia Earhart accent presented a distraction so glowing that whatever poor dialogue she was spouting was entirely overshadowed. You’re watching an Academy Award winning actress simply go through the motions, void of all depth and believability.
Theme: Nair’s disclosed objective was to allow the audience to “understand her life” because “not many know her real story.” Sure, we all recognize her iconic status, but this legendary woman’s back-story is relatively ambiguous to the average American. So, enlighten us! Nair fell short of her aim. There was no freshly explored dimension of this woman – it couldn’t have been a more general portrait of the historical figure we’ve already become acquainted with.

The Good:

Ewan McGregor: The few minutes of the film that didn’t seem totally elementary were graced by Ewan McGregor – a brief, but honest and well acted performance. For this motion picture, that alone deserves a nod.

Overall:

This was an opportunity for two of the few dominant women in the entertainment industry to both acknowledge and glorify the life of one of our nation’s biggest female inspirations – a rare occasion. When the top artists in the game let you down, the courtesy sugar-coat isn’t in the cards. Go see Ong Bak 2. That’s right, I said it.

Rating: 1/10

Amelia hits theaters on October 23rd.

Photos of Hilary Swank in Amelia

Krystal Clark — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:55:07 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve heard or posted anything regarding the upcoming biopic, Amelia. Based on the life of legendary pilot Amelia Earhart, the film stars two time Oscar winner Hilary Swank in the title role. The film is directed by Mira Nair, and will hit theaters on October 23rd, just in time for awards season. We have several new photos from the film that feature Swank alongside Nair, and co-stars Ewan McGregor and Richard Gere.

Take a look at the photos…

To browse our gallery, select any photo and it will enlarge and then allow you to scroll through the photos…

Amelia is itching to capture the attention of Oscar voters this season. Everyone involved with this film has an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination under their belt and they want more. Hopefully the movie doesn’t come across as trying too hard, remember the infamous Scarface? The movie may be a cult classic now, but when it came out it was seen as cartoonish and over the top. Al Pacino‘s performance was panned, and no one took it seriously. Good luck, Amelia.

Do you think Amelia has what it takes to be an Oscar contender?

Source: Cinemablend

Hilary Swank’s Amelia Poster

Krystal Clark — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:40:45 +0000

I’m happy to get an official look at two time Oscar winner Hilary Swank in the upcoming biopic, Amelia. It seems like she wrapped filming on it ages ago, and we just got a trailer back in June. Over at Latino Review they’ve got a copy of the first feature poster for the film which stars Swank as the legendary pilot Amelia Earhart. The cast also includes Richard Gere as her husband George Putnam, and Ewan McGregor as her lover Gene Vidal. Amelia is directed by Mira Nair, and will hit theaters this fall on October 23.

Check out the full sized poster after the jump…

It smells like everyone in this cast is sniffing around for an Oscar. That’s just an observation.

What do you think of the first poster for Amelia?

Trailer for Mira Nair’s New Film Amelia

Kara Stanford-Jones — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:08:52 +0000

The first official trailer for Mira Nair‘s (Moonsoon Wedding, The Namesake) new film, Amelia has been released by Fox Searchlight. The film is a biopic about the aviator, Amelia Earhart, starring Hilary Swank in the leading role. The film stars Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Virginia Madsen, Joe Anderson, Christopher Eccleston, and Mia Wasikowska.

Judging by the trailer, the film looks promising. The film looks like it is shot beautifully and Mira Nair is a talented director. I happen to be a fan of Moonsoon Wedding. However, I am a little on the fence about it. Of all female actresses, Hilary Swank is most fitting to star as Amelia Earhart, but the trailer looks a bit overly sappy. I am a little weary by the fact that it stars Richard Gere; any film that has Richard Gere and a semi-romantic, sub-plot seems to get so sappy. This movie might have an issue with Richard Gere, but I could be totally wrong.

Check out the trailer…

ScreenCrave.com » amelia

New DVD Releases: Zombieland, Amelia, Love Happens

FEATURE FILMS

Amelia

TV ON DVD

SPECIAL EDITION OF THE WEEK

Related Posts

Amelia Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Bad:

The Good:

Overall:

Rating: 1/10

Related Posts

Photos of Hilary Swank in Amelia

Related Posts

Hilary Swank’s Amelia Poster

Related Posts

Trailer for Mira Nair’s New Film Amelia

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