There are many movies that have been released over the years where sequels make sense. That doesn’t mean they need sequels, but you can see how it’ll work. A sequel to Donnie Darko, however, never crossed my mind.

Donnie Darko, one of the most unique, intriguing, mind-bending and debate-invigorating films of the 21st century, is one of my favorite movies. The film, though it was never a box office hit, has become a cult classic, solidified Jake Gyllenhaal as a leading man and is just one damn fine film. It is also a movie with a satisfying ending… an ending where the title character dies to save the world. (more…)

My Bloody Valentine 3D comes to DVD this Tuesday, May 19, 2009, and I’ll just say: wait until the new Friday the 13th hits stores. When I saw the movie in theaters, I found it mildly amusing, if only for how bad it was and for the fact that it was in 3D. The movie was, in fact, my first Real3D experience, and the visuals are pretty impressive; impressive enough that they helped me survive through a rather painful and cliche horror movie that thinks it is so much smarter than it actually is.

You can read the My Bloody Valentine 3D movie review here, or read on for my DVD review… (more…)

Anne Hathaway nearly earned herself an Oscar for her stunning performance in Rachel Getting Married, but she also starred in another 2008 movie, the little-known Passengers. A thriller about a young psychologist who is assigned to deal with the survivors of a jet liner crash only to find that the survivors not only have conflicting stories about the events but that they are apparently being hunted by the government, Passengers had potential… But there’s a reason why no one has heard of this movie.

Passengers barely received a theatrical release and almost no promotion; the trailers were downright terrible. Still, the movie has a strong cast including Hathaway, Patrick Wilson and a few others, so it was worth a chance – though I only watched it because Sony sent me the DVD to review. Unfortunately, Passengers is exactly what I suspected; a forgettable, dull thriller.

Read the rest of the Passengers movie review.

One of the leaders during the Academy Award race, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button came away with “only” three minor awards, its thunder reduced to a whisper by the underdog-that-never-really-was Slumdog Millionaire.  The movie, which stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and is directed by David Fincher, is now available on DVD.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a very good movie, but the more I think about it, the more overrated I realize it is. While the concept is ingenious and the performances excellent, the movie lacks real conflict and just sort of plods along without tremendous drama or humor. Written by Eric Roth, who wrote Munich and, more importantly, the very similiar Forrest Gump, the movie just pales in comparison. In other words, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button doesn’t live up to its full potential. (more…)

With Star Trek coming to theaters this week, it only seemed fitting – at least according to Paramount – to re-release Galaxy Quest in an all-new Deluxe Edition format (on May 12, 2009). This sci-fi spoof, which can only be described as a direct yet intelligent spoof of Star Trek and its fans, is a well-made and funny comedy starring Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Signourey Weaver and Sam Rockwell, among others.

You don’t have to be a fan of Star Trek to enjoy the film, and in fact it’s fun going back after ten years and watching things all over again. For instance, at the time, Rickman was mainly known as that guy from Die Hard, whereas now he’s that guy from Harry Potter. No one knew who Rockwell was at the time, and if you look closely, Dwight from “The Office” even makes an appearance. (more…)

I was born in the 80’s and grew up watching cartoons into the early nineties. One of my staples on Saturday morning was the X-Men animated series.

Despite being a DC Comics fan and not a Marvel one as much, there was something about the show that had me waiting with bated breath for every episode. Compared to some of the other cartoons going on those days – such as the Batman animated series – the artistry was more in tune with the comic book art, the stories grittier and more realistic. In reality, the Batman series – which I also watched – was all-around better, but the X-Men series was the one to watch. (more…)

2008’s remake of the science-fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still was not, when all things were said and done, a box office failure, but Fox had to be disappointed with its lackluster opening weekend, lukewarm critical reception and quick fade from theaters.

The overall so-so response sums up the movie pretty well. The Day the Earth Stood Still is good, but not great. It’s entertaining, but not thrilling. It’s intriguing, but not exciting. In other words, it’s sort of like the original, only… not original. (more…)

A little known movie called No Country for Old Men came out a couple years back, raked in a few random awards and then settled into obscurity. With few critics or audiences avidly backing the film, the movie disappeared quickly, taking with it its shoddy acting and direction. Good riddance.

Alas, Miramax believes it can make a few more dollars on the unsuspecting moviegoer, as they are about to release on Tuesday a 3-Disc Collector’s Edition. You can read my full No Country for Old Men movie review, where I fault the picture for a variety of things including its lack of excitement, questionable acting – especially by the awful Javier Bardem – and horrific direction by the Coen brothers, or you can read on for my review of this new DVD collection… (more…)

Will Smith is one of the most consistent box office forces there is. Even his intentionally misspelled 2007 drama The Pursuit of Happyness went on to make well over $100 million in the United States.

So, the odds were good that his 2008 follow-up Seven Pounds, which is directed by the same man, Gabriele Muccino, would continue Smith’s streak of consecutive $100-million earners.

Unfortunately for Smith – though we can hardly feel sorry for his rare flop – audiences read right through the obscure previews and opted to not see the flick – or at least wait until DVD. It was a good choice. (more…)

The hit James Bond action flick Quantum of Solace speeds its way onto DVD and Blu-Ray this coming Tuesday, March 24, 2009 in a two-disc special edition. The follow-up to the immensely popular reboot Casino Royale finds us with a new director, an angrier Bond and of course a new set of Bond girls, and the combination is a bit of a disappointment.

While perfectly fine as a non-stop action movie, Quantum lacks the craftsmanship and character development of its predecessor, which was honed by the direction of Martin Campbell. Marc Forster, having never directed such an action film before, was an odd choice to helm the follow-up, and his style is largely a poor knock-off of Campbell’s direction. Funnily enough, in one of the special features on the DVD, Forster explains that his approach is to just “throw everything on the screen,” which explains the lack of deleted scenes – and the senseless barrage of action in the movie. (more…)