White Dog Samuel Fuller's follow-up to The Big Red One was shelved by Paramount Pictures before its scheduled release in 1982 because of fears that its premise -- a white dog has been trained to attack black people -- would stir up more controversy than box office. Fuller was understandably outraged; in his autobiography, A Third Face, he wrote: "The studio has used me as a scapegoat for their lack of determination and courage." The film, co-written by Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential), with a score by the legendary Ennio Morricone, later received acclaim when it was released in Europe but never received a home video release in the US and has rarely been seen here. Kristy McNichol plays an actress who adopts the dog; Paul Winfield is as an anthropologist who tries to reverse the training. The Criterion Collection DVD includes a featurette with Hanson, producer Jon Davison, and Fuller's widow, plus a print interview with the dog trainer and essays by J. Hoberman and Armond White. I'm buying, but even if you're not a huge fan of Samuel Fuller, you'd want to check it out. Rent it.
Step Brothers Combining Will Farrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, and Mary Steenburgen under one roof, Step Brothers mines familiar territory with sharp timing and plenty of belly laughs. Mine is, admittedly, a distinctly minority opinion. Available on DVD (single-disc rated, single-disc unrated, two-disc unrated) and Blu-ray, with an audio commentary by Farrell, Reilly, director Adam McKay, and a score by Jon Brion. Other features include deleted scenes and alternate takes, a gag reel, 'making of,' and a couple of gag featurettes. Rent it.
Much more on Wanted, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian after the jump, plus Indies on DVD, Blu-ray Picks, and Collector's Corner.
Hancock As Thanksgiving approaches, we've got the wild superhero Hancock crashing into shelves. While it might have been led by mega-star Will Smith, it didn't get much love from critics and certainly bowed in the shadows of some old-school, established superheroes. That being said, it's still Will Smith and is said to have a powerful start that just falls flat. Teamed with a bunch of solid special features, it's worth a glimpse. Rent it.
Meet Dave And then there's Eddie Murphy. In his latest wacky film, Murphy gets to play a human spacecraft for a bunch of tiny aliens. The DVD holds the obligatory extras -- gag reel, deleted scenes, alternate ending -- but I'd still say Skip it, even if the box office still gives the dude love.
Freaks and Geeks Yearbook Edition No, this isn't a film. But considering the fact that this is Judd Apatow's baby, and starred the likes of big-screen names Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel, it's certainly a great addition to any DVD shelf. Tons of extras, tons of fun. Buy it.
Other mainstream releases: Superman Doomsday, Space Chimps, Fred Claus
Wall-E As with all great movies, I quickly forgot about everything except the characters and the story. Wall-E sparked some surprising political and sociological debates, but no one can deny the sense of wonder that the boxy robot and his adventures engender. Erik's already run down the special features; the toughest decision is which editon to get. Buy it.
Tropic Thunder I skipped this one theatrically because I'm worn out on Hollywood self-mockery -- has any other industry ever found itself so simultaneously fascinating yet repulsive? Still, reviews were generally strong, and this is the best bet this week for a broad, R-rated comedy, as long as you haven't overdosed on Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Does Robert Downey, Jr. make it all worthwhile? Rent it.
Encounters at the End of the World Speaking of something simultaneously fascinating yet repulsive, Werner Herzog traveled to the Antarctic to make a personal essay assailing the ugliness of the man-made town from which all journeys Seriously Down Under begin, and questions the sanity of some of the people who work there. Then the beauty of the place overwhelms everything, before Werner starts asking about the sex life of penguins to liven up an interview. Oh, Werner! Rent it.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Girl power got a kick in the, er, pants, with this sequel, which takes place in a fantasy land of upper class privilege masquerading as lower middle class struggles. No doubt some will take me to task for missing the moral message which is rolled up somewhere inside the pretty scenery and prettier tears; I admit I dozed off a couple of times. In a weird way, this could be a good contrasting double-bill with Twilight. Under 18? Rent it.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army The red beastie with a penchant for kittens is back. This time, Hellboy must stop an underworld leader bent on awakening an army of unstoppable gizmos created to take over the world. He's got problems with Liz, and new aggravations from Johann (voiced by Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlane). You can pick up the regular old simple edition, a big 3-disc set, or if you like collectibles, a boxed collector's set with a statue, poster, and book on regular DVD or Blu-ray. (More info on the DVD right here.) Buy it.
Mister Foe On the less flashy front, there's the excellent Jamie Bell in Hallam Foe. Another victim of renaming, the film is known as Mister Foe stateside, but still covers Bell as Foe -- a peeping Tom on the streets of Edinburgh after his mother's untimely death. You won't get the mass of goodies that Hellboy has, but there are a few extras to dip into. Rent it.
Sukiyaki Western DjangoUber popular Japanese cult filmmaker Takashi Miike now brings us Sukiyaki Western Django -- riffing on spaghetti westerns, two clans battle for a town's treasure as a gunslinger strolls into town. According to Jeffrey M. Anderson's review: "Miike has managed the best Spaghetti Western knockoff in years."Buy it on DVD or Blu-ray.
Kit Kittredge -- An American Girl It's the feature film for all the little girls out there who have American Girl dolls, and those who have long since grown up. Abigail Breslin stars as a young, budding reporter who tries to help her family during the Great Depression. She's surrounded by the financial woes of the time, plus prejudice and a situation that asks for a little Nancy Drewing. It's a must-see for the kids, and anyone who can enjoy a youthful dip into the past. Buy It.
Billy the Kid Jennifer Venditti had come to the small Maine town to do some casting for Bugcrush, but she found something better -- Billy. Spending a week with the 15-year-old, Venditti captured a young man's highs and lows, his triumphs and vulnerabilities. The film is wildly funny, but also a telling account of the danger of assumption, the troublesome labels that get put on us during our youth, and the tribulations of the unique. Check out my review for more information.Buy It.
Hell Ride Presented by Quentin Tarantino, this Larry Bishop film was pretty much ravaged by critics (11% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). But if you like the rumble of a bike barreling down the road, Hell Ride follows some badass bikers trying to avenge the death of one of their own by a rival gang. There's lots of talent in this puppy -- Madsen, Balfour, Hopper, Carradine -- but unless you really like to just lose yourself in footage of bikers on bikes, Skip It.
Also on DVD: Journey to the Center of the Earth (see: Blu-ray), Tinker Bell (see: Blu-ray), Zombie Strippers.
Above: Incredible Hulk, Flight of the Red Balloon, The Strangers
Incredible Hulk "There once was an angry young man..." sounds like a fairy tale, but the rebooted Hulk got a huge leg up with the casting of the intense Edward Norton as the scientist who turns green with rage. This Hulk has narrative problems, but as a straight-ahead action picture it keeps a pretty good beat as it rocks along, and definitely benefits from Norton and Tim Roth as his nemesis; Liv Tyler and William Hurt also star. Scott examined all the features of the 3-disk Special Edition on DVD; also available in a single-disk DVD edition and on Blu-ray. Buy it.
Flight of the Red Balloon Juliette Binoche hires a Taiwanese film student as nanny for her son, and magical moments begin. Jeffrey M. Anderson said Binoche was "simply miraculous" and that the film itself "could be one of those magic moments that people could appreciate if only they would take the time." Now's the time, people! Hou Hsiao-Hsien is an amazing filmmaker and this a perfect alternative to Hulk's smash/bang. Available on what looks like a bare-bones DVD. Rent it.
The Strangers It's Liv Tyler week! She and Scott Speedman play a troubled couple besieged by masked strangers in their own home. Writer/director Bryan Bertino takes a commendably low-key approach to their night of terror, but there were far too many cheap scares and telegraphed thrills for me. Eugene Novikov was much more impressed, however, so decide for yourself. Available on DVD and Blu-ray; both include R-rated and unrated versions. The unrated cut includes about five minutes of additional footage, mostly near the climax. Rent it.
After the jump: Indies on DVD (Go-Getter! B-Ballers! Ben Stein!), Blu-ray (James Bond!), and Collector's Corner (Looney Tunes! Gangsters!).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The big release this week is, undoubtedly, the latest adventures of Indiana Jones. There are so many fan goodies involved with this release, that you can check out our previous two posts for specifics -- one for the disc extras and one for the collectible extras. As for the film itself -- it's gotten a lot of banter about its plusses and minuses, but in the end, it's still 77% fresh. So basically, this is a Buy It if you're an Indy fan, and a Rent It, if you're not sure.
War, Inc. This is the feature that plagues me. It has John Cusack. It was co-written by the wildly insane, talented, and fun Mark Leyner. Nevertheless, War, Inc. failed to impress. You know you've got to worry when a review starts with: "What do you say when a film is so bad that you actually feel physical pain for everyone involved?" So, I say with a heavy heart: Skip It.
Y.P.F -- aka -- Young People F**king This is merely a funny and mostly honest look at sex, but with a title that flings out the F-bomb, it's gotten a whole slew of drama ranging from political movements to Ebert responses. But when it comes down to it, the Canadian comedy is funny, but it's not shockingly racy and has barely any nudity. You'll see more jaw-dropping sex and skin on True Blood. Buy It!
Above: You Don't Mess with the Zohan, The Happening, Sleeping Beauty
You Don't Mess with the Zohan Adam Sandler wandering into topical territory, actually making sense, and stll making the funny? I was surprised too! Don't worry, he still packs in plenty of juvenile gags about the outlandish size of his package and drags in every ancient ethnic stereotype possible, but as an Israeli intelligence operative who wants to become a hairdresser, he pulls off the neat trick of creating a completely silly character in a wish-fulfillment scenario that, well, nearly everyone wants to see. Rent it. Available rated (theatrical cut) on a single-disc DVD and unrated in single-disc and double-disc DVD editions. The Blu-ray includes both the rated and unrated versions.
The Happening Maybe the inclusion of "over 1 hour of intense bonus footage not shown in theaters!" -- extended versions of "Lion Attack" and Survivalist Porch" among them -- will convert me. Maybe I'll watch M. Night Shyamalan's first R-rated horror flick again some day to see if it still makes me roll my eyes and laugh out loud at scenes that were evidently intended to make me shiver in my seat. Maybe one day pigs will fly. Skip it. Available on DVD and Blu-ray with deleted scenes and "making of" features.
Sleeping Beauty Scott Weinberg has already written about the awesomeness of the new edition of Disney's animated treasure on Blu-ray. This is a classic no-brainer, a movie that both young and old can dip back into time and again. Buy it. Available on DVD and Blu-ray.
After the jump: Indies on DVD, Blu-ray, and Collector's Corner. Join us, won't you?
Imagine Spider-Man murdering a young boy. The Rebel isn't a revisionist superhero movie, but it does star Johnny Nguyen, who was the masked stunt double for Spider-Man and Green Goblin in two of Sam Raimi's web-spinning adventures. Here Nguyen plays Cuong, an enforcer for the French exploiters in 1920s Vietnam. Anti-colonial protests have been gaining force and exerting pressure upon the ruling French, and Cuong is expected to help put them down. Caught up in his violent duties, Cuong kills a boy almost without realizing what he's done. He feels instant, piercing regret, as though the guilt for all his sins has come crashing down upon him. His remorse becomes a galvanizing force that pushes him to stop shedding the blood of his own people.
To begin, he tries to help a young rebel escape torture and certain death. The beautiful Thuy (Veronica Ngo, AKA Ngo Thanh Van) is important to both sides: her father is leader of the anti-government movement. She is understandably wary about Cuong's true intentions. Just as he's making headway in convincing her of his sincerity, his cynical, ambitious overlord Sy (Dustin Nguyen, of 21 Jump Street fame, who's never been better) appears. Sy is less interested in Cuong's allegiance than in the possibility that he can lead him to Thuy's father.
While the story is riddled with contrivances and genre conventions, the action sequences set the film apart. Johnny Nguyen is flat-out amazing in his grace and control, while Dustin Nguyen more than holds his own in close-quarters fighting. Floating like a butterfly but stinging like a bee, Veronica Ngo, a dancer/model/singer/actress, looks extremely convincing as she fiercely defends her friends and her honor. Oh, and she's a babe and a half.
Iron Man At the risk of drawing the ire of Batfans everywhere, I'll just come out and say it: Iron Man is the best my favorite superhero movie of the year. (Dear Comic-Con: Please don't revoke my press pass.) Dark Knight is indeed brilliant, and brilliantly dark, but Iron Man is just so much more ... fun (AND it has social messages!). Poor Jeff Bridges may not hold a candle to the late Heath Ledger in the villain department, but Iron Man wins out elsewhere. Its characters are colorful and layered, its action is supremely stylish and never overbearing (unlike Transformers, even in its hot metal-on-metal action) and thanks to sensibilities of Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau, it's flat-out funny. Man-crush alert: Downey Jr. is fast on his way to becoming an acting icon, right up there with Al Pacino and Jared from Subway. Buy it!!! (Available in both single disc and two-disc special edition)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall The latest from Camp Apatow stars a far-too-naked Jason Segel, an almost unrecognizably sexy Mila Kunis 2.0, a scene-stealing Russell Brand, and Kristen Bell. The film definitely has its moments, but I'm just not sold on Segel as a leading man, who seems to equate "comedic skill" with "revealing your junk." And as much as we enjoy rooting for a lovable loser, at some point in the movie it helps if he stops moaning, crying and being generally so extremely pathetic. After Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder and The Happening, Sarah Marshall will have to settle for being the fourth funniest movie so far this year. Rent it, or buy it in the discount bin (Available in both single disc and two-disc collector's edition)
There's a slew of new releases hitting shelves this week. Some are flashy, some are sweet, and some you should be ashamed if you spend your hard-earned money on them. As Peter said last week, we're still working out kinks in the new format, so weigh in below with your thoughts.
MAIN PICKS AND MISSES Speed Racer (Pick) Made of Honor (Miss) The Love Guru (Miss) The Babysitters (Miss)
INDIES ON DVD Young@Heart, Finding Amanda, Harold, Snow Angels
BLU-RAY Speed Racer, Hulk (2003), The Mist
COLLECTOR'S CORNER High School Flashback Collection, Risky Business Deluxe Edition, and more!
Welcome to Cinematical's revamped but still opinionated guide to movies on disc, whether new-fangled Blu-ray or good old fashioned DVD, Hollywood blockbusters or indie wonders, direct to video debuts or refurbished classics.
Buy: The Fall Rent: Baby Mama, The Forbidden Kingdom, How the West Was Won Pass: Foreign Exchange, Seed, Sarah Landon & The Paranormal Hour, Then She Found Me
Blu-ray Spotlight: Exiled, Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, Jerry Maguire, Cool Hand Luke, Rudy Indies on DVD: Heckler, The Last Days of Left Eye, Last House on the Beach Collector's Corner: The Big Lebowski, Child's Play, Pumpkinhead
The Fall. Directed by Tarsem (The Cell), this incredible visual feast, filmed over four years, imagines the fantastical, far-flung stories told to a little girl recovering from a fall in a hospital. A wild, weird trip of a flick that cries out to be replayed time and again. Extras include deleted scenes, featurettes, and audio commentaries. Of the Blu-ray edition, DVD Talk said: "Easily ranks as reference quality." Buy.
Baby Mama The "must rent" of the week, just to luxuriate in the comedic stylings of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah PalinSNL vet Tina Fey as she learns about compromise with baby surrogage Amy Poehler. Extras include an audio commentary with Fey, Poehler, director Michael McCullers and SNL's Lorne Michaels. Also available on Blu-ray. Rent.
Read on for many more details on this week's highlighted releases.
The Promotion After Dane Cook's Employee of the Month ripped out our interest in office-led comedies and stomped on it, The Promotion was a welcome breath of fresh air that has become a comedic emblem over here at Cinematical. It's graced a top films of 2008 list, popped up in a few fanrants, and has been part of a lot of multimedia. And now, after a modest release, the comedy is on DVD.
Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly play supermarket workers who vie for the same management position in a new store. Scott is told that he's a shoo-in for the gig, which will be nestled near his neighborhood, while Reilly is a new hire straight out of Quebec who is eager for the position. They fall into an insane battle of one-upmanship. In Scott's review, he said: "I just watched it with a jam-packed house at SXSW -- and these folks were laughing like nitrous oxide had just been pumped into the air ducts."
The disc features deleted scenes, a commentary with writer/director Steven Conrad and producers Jessika Borsiczky Goyer and Steven A. Jones, a making-off featurette, promotional webisodes, and finally, outtakes.
Just last week I received the latest release from the critic-led Benten Films -- Kentucker Audley's mumblecore film Team Picture, which comes out on DVD today. Imagine a Slacker sort of world with everyday life and a collection of varied people, but without the rolling conversation of UFOs and Like a Virgin pap smears.
Audley's style is to show a more realistic life without the allure of stars or irresistably charismatic actors. He leads the film as a slacker musician who really encapsulates the ideas of slackerdom in every area of life -- indifferent to his girlfriend's unhappiness, the need for a future path, and even the quirks of his roommate. While not for moviegoers looking for a fast-paced, tightly written story, Team Picture does have some charm as a sort of dead-pan voyeuristic look into modern slackers. Check out the video above to see what I mean.
The DVD has a commentary, a new epilogue, a short film, music performances, deleted scenes, trailer, and an essay by Nick Dawson.
Imagine Spider-Man murdering a young boy. 
