The new Friday the 13th movie comes to theaters this Friday, just in time for Valentine’s Day. From the director of the surprisingly good Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, the movie is destined to be the best of the franchise, even if by default. After all, let’s face it: the Friday the 13th series is terrible. Compared to all of the other big horror franchises such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, this series is C-grade garbage.
Of course, that didn’t stop me from watching the first three movies over the weekend. Why? Because Paramount sent me the new DVDs, which were just re-released on February 3, 2009 to take advantage of the new film. I watched all three in a 24-hour span, and have to say that they’re better than I remembered… but not by much.
Here are my Friday the 13th movie reviews…
Friday the 13th (1980)
I came home from a long day at work earlier this week and there, sitting on my doorstep, was the first three Friday the 13th movies. In conjunction with the upcoming release of the new Friday the 13th remake, Paramount is understandably trying to cash in by re-releasing several of the films on DVD. Despite loving slasher flicks, I’ve never been a fan of the series, but that night, with nothing better to do other than watch the utterly boring Miracle at St. Anna, I figured I might give the franchise another chance. More…
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Having just received the first three Friday the 13th movies in the mail the other day, it didn’t take me long to start watching them. In fact, about five minutes after I finished the first movie, I went right onto the second, eager for some Jason goodness. Of course, ‘Jason goodness’ is relative, given that Friday the 13th is one of the worst horror franchises on the market. More…
Friday the 13th Part III: In 3D (1982)
The wonderful director who made Friday the 13th Part 2 returns to direct Friday the 13th Part 3: 3-D. Unfortunately, he didn’t learn from his mistakes and Part 3 is shockingly worse than the last one. More…
Frozen River is one of those movies that you may not have heard of until Oscar nominations were announced, and that left you wondering how you could see such an acclaimed film that had long since left theaters. Thankfully, Frozen River is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray…
One of the most talked about movies that no one has heard of, Frozen River arrives on DVD on Tuesday, just in time for audiences to get a peek at the Oscar-nominated performance by star Melissa Leo before awards are handed out at the end of the month. Read more…
The Weinstein Company will release Jet Li’s The Enforcer in a Special Collector’s Edition DVD on Tuesday, February 10, along with a variety of new bonus features including interviews with the producer, former child star Tse Miu and the villain of the picture, Ken Lo – as well as a feature commentary.
What The Weinstein Company really should have done instead is included a Cantonese audio track so I wouldn’t have had to sludge through a poorly dubbed English version.
Yes, this special collector’s edition is so special that it doesn’t even include the original audio. For someone who has never seen The Enforcer before, like me, it doesn’t do much to win me over by forcing me to listen to dubbed audio, something I vowed never to do after sitting through one too many cringe-inducing Jackie Chan dubs. Dubbing automatically pisses me off, especially when the voice-over actors speak non-accented English. At least have Chinese people with Chinese-accents do the voices!
In reaction to the lack of its original Cantonese track, The Weinstein Company released this statement:
Dragon Dynasty strives to provide fans with only the highest quality DVD releases, including restored video and audio and extensive never-before-seen bonus features created exclusively for the label.
Though no usable version of the original Cantonese-language track was available in time for this release, every effort was made to bring together the best elements in the world in creating the greatest version of The Enforcer ever experienced on DVD in the U.S.
My reaction to this: then don’t release the DVD until you have that audio track available. I thought we were well past the day of dubbing movies, or at least not giving the viewers a choice. Dubbing erases an actors’ performance and reduces the picture to a cheesy mockery of its former self. It’s preposterous that the studio would provide a version like this to Jet Li fans.
As for the movie itself, The Enforcer is just OK. Had I watched the original Cantonese version, I might have thought differently, but with a bunch of English actors providing their voices, most of the dialogue in the movie comes off as overly cheesy and ridiculous. Some of the dialogue, frankly, is painful to listen to.
Beyond the audio issues, however, the movie does suffer from a few unintentionally goofy moments. Some of the wire work at the end, where Jet Li is throwing his kung fu son at bad guys and then withdrawing him with a piece of rope, is funny but completely stupid. The son should also have been brain dead a few times over by the end, yet he always manages to come back to life even after being declared dead by a surgeon. My favorite is that after the boy “dies,” his dad’s first reaction is that, “We need to get him out of here!” rather than to set him down and give him immediate CPR. It’s just little things like this that add up to make the movie look sort of foolish.
That being said, there are some excellent action scenes. The final climax is non-stop and enjoyable, with some good, gritty fighting and stunts. For Jet Li fans, this is more than enough.
When all is said and done, The Enforcer comes off as a lesser version of Infernal Affairs (or The Departed, for that matter), with some good action but a plot full of holes. Unfortunately, without being able to watch a subtitled version of the picture, I can’t give a very good assessment. I’m still amazed that The Weinstein Company would release a movie on DVD without its original audio track.
Even though I am hesitant about how the new Sci-Fi Channel drama Caprica is going to be compared to Battlestar Galactica, I must say I’m starting to look forward to the new series. Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out if it’s any good, as Sci-Fi announced that the two-hour pilot will be released on DVD months before it is to premiere on television. Caprica isn’t scheduled to debut until 2010, but we’ll get to see what it’s like on April 21, 2009. It will also be available online through specific partners, for a fee.
This move makes sense in so many ways. While Caprica is already highly anticipated, releasing this movie so shortly after the end of Battlestar Galactica allows Sci-Fi to maximize the exposure to its new show, build hype and also make some money off it long before it was ever supposed to. Sci-Fi has done a wonderful job of taking advantage of its viewers’ wallets, as evidenced by their half-season releases of BSG (not to mention that they make advertising dollars off all the other crap they have on the station).
I just watched the two-and-a-half-minute movie trailer for The Great Buck Howard, which stars Colin Hanks and John Malkovich, with a guest appearance by Colin’s father, the little-known actor named Tom Hanks. The movie is about a washed-up performer who is still living in his glory years until his new, youthful manager helps get him back on the fast track.
The movie looks entertaining enough, and Malkovich appears to be in his element here as the overly enthusiastic and seemingly fake title character. Unfortunately, the movie trailer itself is not that good. It’s about 45 seconds too long, not very well structured and altogether just a little bland. Worse is that it establishes no sense of conflict – things just seem to get better and better for Howard – so now that I’ve seen this trailer, what’s the point of seeing the movie?
Watch The Great Buck Howard movie trailer yourself:
Soul Men comes to DVD next Tuesday, and of three big names in the film – Bernie Mac, Samuel L. Jackson and Isaac Hayes – only Jackson lived to see this comedy released to theaters.
I’m not sure that Jackson was the lucky one.
After all, Jackson most likely attended the premiere, which means that he had to be embarrased in front of everyone when he saw the final product. Soul Men is pretty disastrous, and is definitely not the way Bernie Mac would have wanted to go out.
One of my most anticipated movies of 2008, Blindnessis directed by Fernando Meirelles, the man behind such visually stimulating films as The Constant Gardener and City of God. Given his stunning resume, Blindness looked like a sure lock for one of the best movies of the year. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore, the movie is about a horrifying virus that spreads throughout the country, causing everyone – except for Moore’s character – to go blind. That’s pretty bad ass.
Unfortunately, Blindness isn’t nearly as good as I was expecting. Decent, yes, but the film never fully clicks. Some of the character reactions and plot points don’t make sense. Most shockingly, the film is visually dull. Maybe all of those protesters outside the theater stating, “Blindness is not bad,” or something could have saved their breath. While I’d still recommend the movie to people who want something different, it’s not nearly as good as it could have been. (more…)
I love movies. I really love movies. I love watching them, I love playing them, and I love stroking them. Wait, what? Ignore that last part. Getting back on track, as much as I love movies, I’m really not a huge fan of bonus features. It’s not that there aren’t some really good bonus features that get packaged with DVDs – it’s just that the movies themselves are enough for me. The only reason bonus features are included on discs are to sell more – which is fine – but they are, in fact, bonus. And unlike bonus questions on a test that can raise your grade from a B+ to an A-, bonus questions don’t elevate a movie from one plateau to the next.
Given that, I was actually happy to see that W., the George Bush docu-drama from famed director Oliver Stone, had only one real bonus feature. That’s not to say I’m going to recommend the DVD, but when I can knock off a DVD review in a matter of minutes… that’s just awesome.
W. itself is a decent movie, with strong performances from some of the actors (Josh Brolin and Richard Dreyfuss as Bush and Cheney, respectively) and others that are just plain strange (Thandie Newton as a nasally Condoleeza). The movie works for the most part, even though it clips over some important aspects of the Bush presidency and would probably have worked better had it been made a couple years from now, when the taste of Bush is more of a nagging thought than a cringing reminder of what has happened to our country. You can read my full W. movie review here. (more…)
It’s funny: of all the successful comedies of the year, one of the funniest, which combined the likes of Seth Rogen with the director who made his kind of comedy possible in the first place – Kevin Smith – flopped. One shouldn’t have been surprised, given that Kevin Smith has hardly been a box office phenom and that The Weinstein Company wasn’t even allowed to market its film title in many venues, but given that Seth Rogen has been in one hit after another – the sudden failure of Zack and Miri Make a Porno struck me by surprise.
And, given that it is one of the most hilarious movies of 2008, I was disappointed. Nevertheless, the movie should make plenty of money this week as it spins its way onto DVD. Those who haven’t seen this movie should, and those who have already seen it should definitely consider buying the 2-Disc Edition, as it is packed with bonus features.
Most notably, Zack and Miri Make a Porno includes over an hour and a half of deleted scenes. Some of them are alternates, but these deleted scenes give you a sense of just how much improv was conducted by the cast. There are plenty of hilarious lines (”what do scrotums taste like?”) and exchanges, especially between Rogen and Justin Long. An entire movie could be made just around Justin Long’s character – if you liked his brief involvement in Zack and Miri, you’ll definitely get a kick out of the deleted scenes.
Beyond those, there’s a pretty strong making-of featurette, which goes through every stage of filming, from casting to filming to getting the film past the MPAA. The making-of documentary is impressively in-depth and honest, and well worth watching.
A series of webisodes are included, some of which are better than others. One with Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen exchanging barbs is pretty good (”What’s Jersey Girl?” “Let’s not talk about it.”).
Some footage from Comic-Con 2008 puts the cast altogether in an audience-driven interview setting. There are no major takeaways here, but it’s not worthless, either.
The outtakes and bloopers are surprisingly disappointing.
Lastly, Seth Rogen and Justin Long face off in an improvisation battle. Most of this can be found in the deleted scenes, but it’s still pretty disappointing.
Between the hours of deleted scenes and the making-of featurette, Zack and Miri Make a Porno 2-Disc Edition is well worth buying. The movie itself is hilarious and surprisingly sweet, so the combination of the film and bonus features make for one of the first great packages of 2009.
First off, congrats to the Pittsburgh Steelers AND the Arizona Cardinals for offering the masses one of the best football games ever. As a Seattle Seahawks fan, it was pretty dismaying to face the reality that the team that beat us in the Superbowl a few years back was going to battle against one of our arch division rivals – of all the teams that could be playing in the Superbowl, why the two teams that I am required to hate?
I, along with all but one guy at the party, was reluctantly rooting for Arizona – though more than anything, we wanted a close game. It was boring for a bit, especially following the 100-yard interception return for a touchdown that shifted the momentum away from Arizona. And then the fourth quarter exploded on us, and we were all treated to one of the craziest, back-and-forth football games in recent memory.
As for the TV commercials… they were so-so. There are a few stand-outs and a lot of forgettables. As I was hosting a party, I didn’t avidly watch every single commercial – and I’m not going to go back and watch them all over again. But here are a few that stood out to me:
Pepsi’s MacGruber – Not all of Pepsi’s commercials were great, but several were funny. They sure beat out Coca-Cola, and this one, a spoof of MacGyver (with Richard Dean Anderson) was classic.
Doritos commercials – the “Lucky Day” one was funny, but the crystal ball one was hilarious.
Cheetos Pigeons – not hilarious, but there’s something about the new cheetos dude that is creepy and alluring at the same time.
Taco Bell’s Smooth Movies – this one was pretty funny, as a desperate man pulls a “Swingers” move on a girl – and then some.
Bridgestone Tires – this company has several noticeable and worthwhile commercials; the best was the astronauts who return to find that their tires have been stolen.
Denny’s Wise Guys – A mobster meeting is interrupted by a cheesy, smiley pancake – prompting Denny’s to tell us that we should go to their place to get a serious breakfast. Clever use of a tag line.
Monster.com Moose – My favorite of the game, this one shows us the head of a moose over a fancy office… as it pans around, though, we see a poor office worker on the other side of the wall who has to sit between the back legs of the rest of the moose.
Hyundai – no, as usual, the car commercials were pretty boring, but in the absence of the American car companies, Hyundai really made a bold move to improve its brand image.
Flowers in a box – Unfortunately, whatever flowers brand that was being pitched here doesn’t resonate with me, but the “No one wants to see you naked” talking flowers is pretty priceless.
Here are some of the losers:
Coca-Cola – Pepsi went one way, and Coca-Cola went an entirely different direction. Their bugs commercial nearly made one of my friends puke, and even I was not even remotely thirsty after watching a bunch of bugs doing stuff to a Coke bottle.
Budweiser Clydesdale commercials – these are never very good, yet always rank high – apparently due to the sentimental value. The stick fetching commercial is especially cringe inducing.
Godaddy.com – I don’t find Danika Patrick super sexy, but regardless – any edge they used to have long lost their luster. Maybe they should put some of their marketing dollars into a better service.
Budweiser – they had some funny ads, as always. But compared to other years, they weren’t that funny. And I’m not a fan of their drinkability pitch or their little “draw with their fingers” campaign – it’s already old.
Universal Studios Superheroes – that little superhero kid looks more like a creepy stalker than a savior.
Cash4Gold.com – I thought this commercial was a joke, until I realized it wasn’t. Is this one of those legit services that scams poor people out of their money?
As for the movie ads, here are my thoughts:
Transformers 2 – pretty bad ass, but needed more Megan Fox.
G.I. Joe – could be good mindless entertainment, but this one really doesn’t look that good.
Angels & Demons – I still can’t get the taste of the predecessor out of my mouth, but this sequel looks pretty good.
Star Trek – I missed this one live, but it’s pretty bad ass, too.
Land of the Lost – this one looks somewhat funny, but doesn’t look remarkably better than last year’s Journey to the Center of the Earth – which didn’t look that good.
Monsters vs. Aliens – meh. I didn’t have 3D glasses so I stopped paying attention.
Fast and Furious – Paul Walker and Vin Diesel together again! Yes! Or, meh. As a commercial, though, it did the trick.
Year One – this one shows promise, but neither the commercial nor the extended clip are particularly funny.
Race to Witch Mountain – for a kid’s action movie, they’re doing a pretty good job of making it look like a big blockbuster.
The new Friday the 13th movie comes to theaters this Friday, just in time for Valentine’s Day. From the director of the surprisingly good Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, the movie is destined to be the best of the franchise, even if by default. After all, let’s face it: the Friday the 13th series is terrible. Compared to all of the other big horror franchises such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, this series is C-grade garbage.
The Weinstein Company will release Jet Li’s The Enforcer in a Special Collector’s Edition DVD on Tuesday, February 10, along with a variety of new bonus features including interviews with the producer, former child star Tse Miu and the villain of the picture, Ken Lo – as well as a feature commentary.
