Region 1 DVD Releases for October 31st, 2006

This week, celebrate Halloween with scaaary people like Tom Cruise.

Mission – Impossible III (Two-Disc Special Collector’s Edition)

Perhaps one of the most underrated blockbusters of the summer, MI:III breaks out of the gate with one of the best opening sequences of the year. Credit J.J. Abrams with bringing the Alias-riffic plot and direction and credit Laurence Fishburne and Philip Seymour Hoffman with bringing the mad support. Credit Tom Cruise’s couch-riffic offscreen behavior with a $133 million domestic gross on a $150 million budget. With international and DVD, I think they’ll still be okay. Not to mention that onscreen, Cruise does just fine.

Incidentally, that disappointing U.S. take may have inspired Paramount to (a) release this DVD on a Monday instead of the traditional Tuesday (this actually came out on October 30th) and (b) release it on DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-ray all on the same day, which is unprecedented.

Extras include commentary from Abrams and Cruise and loads of featurettes.

Tales of the Rat Fink

What project could bring together John Goodman, Tom Wolfe, Ann-Margret, Matt Groening, The Smothers Brothers and Stone Cold Steve Austin? A doc about custom car legend Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and his “anti-Mickey Mouse” symbol the Rat Fink, of course. The film uses Roth-style animation to tell Roth’s tale.

Extras include interviews with Roth.

Keeping Up With the Steins

If you didn’t get enough of Jeremy Piven planning his daughter’s Bat Mitzvah on Entourage, in this film he competes with a rival’s Bar Mitzvah. And, yes, he plays an agent in this one, too. Directed by comedy legend Gary Marshall’s son Scott. Not well received.

One of the commentaries features father and son, Gary and Scott. Think Scott’s Bar Mitzvah will come up?

It’s a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)

You’d think that the 60th Anniversary Edition would have something special. If by that you mean a featurette narrated by Tom Bosley, you’d be right. If you mean a super-tricked out edition like that 78-disc set they did for Ben Hur a while back, you’d be wrong. There’s also a tribute to Frank Capra by his son, but at this point I think a doc trying to link Francis Capra of Veronica Mars fame to the movie would be more interesting.

Ghost Whisperer – The Complete First Season

Did you know that Ghost Whisperer was nominated for an Emmy? Outstanding Main Title Design. In spite of a cool critical reception, the show garnered a devoted following and is already on its second season. Having never seen the show, I can only guess it falls somewhere between Medium and Tru Calling in terms of women-talking-to-the-dead shows.

Extras include commentary and featurettes.

So, basically, a Saw movie every Halloween is going to be the new tradition. $34.3 million for Saw III this weekend means Saw IV, October 2007.

11/3

Wide

THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Tim Allen vs. Martin Short — whom will you find more annoying?

WILL IT SUCK?
Well, only as much as The Santa Clause 2 or The Wild. Same writers. The director is a holdover from Clause 2 as well. Normally, I’d be pretty psyched for a film that starred Kevin Pollack as Cupid, but somehow that isn’t happening here.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Flushed Away will be an issue, but there’s a lot of Tim Allen love out there, in spite of Zoom. $72mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No. But if this movie were coming out in March for some reason, you can bet Allen and Short would present.

BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Sacha Baron Cohen pisses off an entire country.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is that this may be the best (and most offensive) comedy of the year. Larry Charles directs, which is a master stroke given the vein of comedy being mined here.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Picked probably the most family-friendly weekend of the season to release, thus guaranteeing no competition. And the government of Kazakhstan is providing the best marketing a $7,800 per capita income can buy. I think the “tiered release,” however, is a mistake. $67mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Cohen is on the short list for Best Actor. I shit you not.

FLUSHED AWAY

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
A posh rat gets flushed down the toilet by an uncouth rat. Moist culture clash ensues.

WILL IT SUCK?
This is from Aardman studios, who have gone from making claymation to making computer generated animation that looks like claymation. Hugh Jackman, in line to win this year’s Jude Law Ubiquity Award, voices the lead. Early buzz, what little of it there is, is good, in spite of a very mixed bag of writers, only one of whom had anything to do with a previous Aardman film – Chicken Run.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I think more people know about The Santa Clause 3 at this point. $57mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Good for an animated nod, though probably not a win like last year’s Aardman entry.

Limited

VOLVER

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz reunite.

WILL IT SUCK?
Though American critics fawn over Almodovar, he is often a prophet without honor in his own country — except this time. So when Spanish critics, American critics and Cannes (who bestowed three major awards on the film) all agree, something must be up. Never mind the fact that Almodovar almost never sucks.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Almodovar can do decent box office, and the Almodovar WOW! tour currently going on won’t hurt. $6mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Spain certainly hopes so. It’s their submission for a Foreign Film Oscar. I’d say keep an eye on Cruz as well for Best Actress. Her performance is getting mad buzz.

Next Week: Christian Bale goes nuts. Again.

Best. Commercial. Ever.

via Best Week Ever

Lewis Black is a very funny man.

I have seen him on The Daily Show. I have seen him perform stand-up. He is a very, very funny man.

So why does he star in such unfunny movies?

I submit:

Accepted

Man of the Year

Unaccompanied Minors (it hasn’t come out yet, but watch this and tell me it’s going to be half as funny as one “Back in Black” segment)

This is an old problem. Chris Rock has it. With the exception of Wayne’s World, Dana Carvey has it. But what I wonder is what causes it. Is it a question of certain types of humor not translating well into narrative features, or is it bad script choices (which doesn’t make sense in Rock’s case because he wrote half the bad movies he’s been in)?

Region 1 DVD Releases for October 24th, 2006

This week, your dream of owning every episode of MacGyver is finally within reach.

Monster House

Many reviews compared this favorably to The Goonies, so my curiosity is piqued. A somewhat less creepy application of the motion capture animation behind The Polar Express. And one of the few CG animated films this year not about talking animals taking on their human oppressors.

Extras include filmmaker commentary and a boatload of featurettes.

Nacho Libre (Widescreen Special Collector’s Edition)

With the mind behind Napoleon Dynamite, the writer behind School of Rock and the Jack Black behind Jack Black, you’d expect something on the level of those films. Unfortunately, critics and audiences weren’t quite as taken with this as with those. Still, I know my curiosity is going to get the better of me with this one.

Extras include commentary from director Jared Hess, writer Mike White and Jack Black, which might be worth the price of the DVD right there. There is also a Nacho Libre comic book creator, whatever that is, some featurettes, and something called “Jack Sings.” Again, probably makes it worth it right there.

Slither

Troma vet James Gunn’s gorefest of slapstick hilarity never quite found the audience of, say, When a Stranger Calls, and that may be the true reason why studios don’t screen horror movies for critics anymore (this one was, Stranger was not). The irony is, of course, that critics and preview audiences loved this flick, but it never got the momentum it needed upon release, even with cult figures Nathan Fillion of Firefly and Jenna Fischer of The Office on board. Here’s hoping for a better life on DVD.

Fillion does a set tour in the extras, and if you’ve seen any of the featurette work he’s done for Firefly, you’ll be psyched. He also does commentary with Gunn.

An American Haunting (Unrated Edition)

Donald Sutherland gets creepy. Well, more so. This quickly forgotten horror film had the quaint notion of setting its spook story back in olden times, but that alone did not make anyone actually, you know, like it.

This includes “video commentary” by the director. Not sure how that’s different from your garden variety commentary, but I’m sure it’s very nice.

MacGyver – The Complete Final Season

In the final season, MacGyver’s first name is revealed, just in time for no one to care anymore. I remember though, that he uses a MacGyverism to figure it out and that’s pretty cool. I think that’s the only part I saw. Of the entire season.

As usual, no extras for MacGyver. You’d think they’d include some duct tape, a rubber band and a paper clip with these things.

I have grossly overestimated the appeal of both magic and Iwo Jima. Prestige won the weekend with $14.8mil, less than half what I predicted, and Flags of Our Fathers will not be the next Saving Private Ryan, and will, in fact, make less than a third of what I had in mind. The real surprise, though, is The Departed, hanging on to the number two spot in its third frame. Go Scorsese.

Prestige, by the way, is a great, if darker than expected, film.

10/27

Wide

SAW III

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Jigsaw gives it all up to compete in a pie-making contest. Just kidding, he tortures a bunch of fuckers, like usual.

WILL IT SUCK?
Interesting pedigree here. James Wan, director and co-writer of the original Saw is back as a co-writer with Darren Lynn Bousman, director of the sequel, back at the helm. The consistent thread here is co-writer Leigh Wannell, who worked on all three. All of this means that this one will probably be no better or worse than the other two.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Borat maybe poses a threat the following week, but, let’s be honest, there’s a reason they greenlit a sequel during Saw II’s opening weekend. $105mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but Tobin Bell is one helluva character actor.

CATCH A FIRE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kind of like a South African In the Name of the Father, if Daniel Day Lewis had decided to join the IRA after getting out of prison.

WILL IT SUCK?
After a kick-ass 2002 (Rabbit Proof Fence and The Quiet American), Philip Noyce disappeared off the radar. Now he’s back with Tim Robbins and Derek Luke in a story that smacks of more of his now trademark political tension. Early buzz is mixed, possibly the result of mixing those factors with the writer of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I’m not sure how many people will be turned off by the trailer, which is vaguely terrorist-recruit-y, and the title, which makes it sound like a sports film, but the bigger concern is that not very many people know about this to begin with. $19mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Overdue nods for Luke and Noyce are a possibility, if reviews improve. Seriously, how did Luke get overlooked for Friday Night Lights?

Limited

BABEL

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
A group of people affect each other in pretty radical ways without ever meeting.

WILL IT SUCK?
Nope. Read my early reactions here.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The indie race starts to heat up here. You’ve got the second frame of Running, the first frame of President and, the following week, the best-buzzed Almodovar film in years. But this film has something none of those other indies has. Brad Fucking Pitt. Still, it’ll be tight. $22mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Best Director, Best Screenplay (maybe Best Picture), a possible nod for Brad and I’d keep my eye on Adriana Barraza, who plays a nanny who goes through an unpleasant ordeal (unlike everyone else in the film who has, you know, a blast).

DEATH OF A PRESIDENT

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Fake doc about the assassination of George W. Bush. Yeah, I’m sure that won’t be controversial at all.

WILL IT SUCK?
Giddy as the prospect might make some, the early buzz isn’t so great.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Without a critical concensus, it’s going to be hard justifying this as anything but catharsis, which will be good for a few bucks, but won’t make for a long run. $2mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Since this was originally a British TV-movie, I’m not sure it’s eligible, but even if it were, it’s probably a little too hot for the Academy.

Next Week: Kazakhstan closes its eyes and pretends it’s somewhere else.

I’ve just completed my second site redesign for NAPCO. Check it out.

If it looks remarkably like my last one, that’s because that’s pretty much the look for most of the Web sites that are re-launching. We’re more or less mandated to use the same template.

If you’re not a custom installer, I don’t know that the site will hold much interest for you. So watch this instead.

So I was watching Dancing With the Stars (don’t look at me like that) and I had an idea. Kicking Ass With the Stars. Each week, Master Yuen Wo Ping would train celebrities how to do coreographed fights just like he did with Keanu and crew on the Matrix movies and then the celebrities would fight (martial arts stunt teams, each other, dogs, children, doesn’t matter). Whoever kicked the most ass would win. Whoever kicked the least would be let go.

And we wouldn’t just go with the typical hunky C-listers, no. We’d bring in Kevin James. You know why? Because you wouldn’t see him coming. You’d be walking down the street and you’d see Kevin James and be all like “Oh, hey, Kevin James!” and then you’d be on the ground and your arm would be across the street and you’d be all like “Holy shit! Did Kevin James just knock me down and tear off my arm and throw it across the street?!?” And he’d be gone already.

This is not the Kevin James you think of now, but after his career-changing turn on Kicking Ass With the Stars it would be the only Kevin James you knew.

Region 1 DVD Releases for October 17th, 2006

This week, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn foretell their own destiny, assuming they’ve actually broken up.

The Break-Up

This is the part where I say how ironic it is that this is coming out right when Vince and Jennifer are breaking up except that Jennifer says they aren’t and that when she gains weight it goes right to her boobs. That last part has nothing to do with the break-up rumors; I just found it interesting.

Anyhoo, critics didn’t like this so much, but everyone I’ve talked to says it’s a nice enough way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Extras include commentary from Jince (or Vennifer, if you prefer), potentially while spooning, but I wouldn’t count on it; an alternate ending; deleted and extended scenes; outtakes; a tour of Chicago and some improv from Swingers alums Vince Vaughan and Jon Favreau.

Over the Hedge

In one of the many examples of the snarky-critters-take-on-The-Man CG cartoon templates this year (along with The Wild, Barnyard, The Ant Bully and Open Season), Bruce Willis and Gary Shandling voice a raccoon and turtle, respectively. This is probably the best reviewed of those films, so if you have to see only one movie with talking animals this year, this should probably be it.

As with most kids’ DVDs, this is very well tricked out, including a feature called “Learn to Draw Hammy.” I don’t know who Hammy is, but just knowing I could potentially learn to draw him instills me with confidence.

American Dreamz

It seemed like such a good idea. A political satire from the guys behind such modern classics as About a Boy and In Good Company (and American Pie, for that matter) with the President (Dennis Quaid) appearing on a reality contest show hosted by Hugh Grant with Mandy Moore, Willem Dafoe, Jennifer Coolidge, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Klein, John Cho, Judy Greer and Shohreh Aghdashloo thrown in for more than good measure. And what do you get? 41 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not horrible, per se, but remember that those first two movies I mentioned scored 94 and 82 percent, respectively. Even American Pie managed 60 percent.

Among the numerous extras is a feature that teaches you how to dance. I just love educational DVDs.

The Omen

My very first post for Blogcritics was a review of the original The Omen starring Gregory Peck and directed by a pre-Lethal Weapon Richard Donner. Now we have Liev Schrieber (whom I love, but is no Peck) and Julia Stiles (who probably is on a par with Lee Remick) directed by the guy who did Behind Enemy Lines (but he may have a Lethal Weapon in his future, you never know). The result, not so much with the good reviews. Still, probably better than the one with Sam Neil as the adult devil spawn.

One of the extras here is called “Omenisms.” Is that like “Dude, look out for that omen!” – cos’ I say that all the time.

Feast

In what may turn out to be the best (if last) Project Greenlight film, a bunch of C-listers (including Henry Rollins, a Silent Bobless Jay and that chick from Numb3rs – no, the other one) hide out in a bar while being stalked by creepy-crawlies with very sharp teeth. At least, that’s what I can gather from the trailer.

This was actually out in theaters for, like, two nights a few weeks ago and managed to pull in $56,131 from 146 theaters for a per screen average of $384 which, yeah, still kind of sucks, but it was only midnight screenings for the most part.

Extras include commentary, a couple featurettes, deleted scenes and outtakes.

Update: More here.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that Grudge 2 would be number one this weekend, but the real surprise here is One Night With the King, which came out of nowhere to grab the #9 spot with over $4mil. An impressive number when you consider that this had practically no advertising outside of frequent mentions on The 700 Club.

10/20

Wide

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Story of the photograph that changed the course of WWII. Well, at least according to the trailer.

WILL IT SUCK?
This project just keeps unfolding like a flower. First, you get Eastwood and Spielberg co-producing, with Eastwood helming. Throw in Paul Haggis and William Broyles, Jr. on pens. Then let drop with a sequel of sorts, the same story told from the Japanese point of view, Letters from Iwo Jima, due to come out in December. Finally, throw in an ad campaign that makes it seem like the photo kept us in a war that was growing increasingly unpopular for our own good. Given the progressiveness of so many aspects of this project, the latter part seems like a marketing decision.

The short version is, Eastwood’s on a tear right now, and the last time he teamed with Haggis, we got Million Dollar Baby.

Early buzz is very mixed.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The Prestige is probably it’s biggest competition, but that just doesn’t have the same Support Our Troops feel. $101mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Normally here I’d just say, “Remember the part about the last time Eastwood teamed with Haggis?” However, if Letters really does come out in December, all bets are off, because who knows how the Academy will parse that.

THE PRESTIGE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Batman and Wolverine play dueling magicians.

WILL IT SUCK?
This is from Christopher Nolan, who doesn’t suck. If that weren’t enough, David Bowie plays Tesla (the scientist, not the band, though that would be pretty awesome, too).

Early buzz is encouraging.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Flags will not be kind, but this has a hot cast and fans of Batman Begins have to be happy about the reteaming of Bale, Nolan and Caine. $68mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
While this doesn’t feel like Oscar bait, there are certainly enough worthy actors to make a go of it.

MARIE ANTOINETTE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kirsten Dunst as the famous queen, with an 80’s new wave soundtrack.

WILL IT SUCK?
In the greatest of ironies, the movie that was famously panned at Cannes was nominated for that festival’s Palme D’Or and won that festival’s Cinema Prize of the French National Education System. All other buzz is equally promising. Writer/director Sofia Coppola won a lot of good will with Lost in Translation, so I’m pot committed to at least her next two films.

Early buzz is very, very good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Some of these movies really oughtta move to next weekend, which has been virtually evacuated for Saw III. In this case, though, I think the limited releases indie route would be more advantageous. Still, there is that good will thing I mentioned before. $35mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
I think some Geisha-style nods (Costume, Art Direction) aren’t out of line, but a second directing or writing nod might be a bit much to ask. Dunst is, however, on the medium-list for Best Actress.

FLICKA

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
As in My Friend…

WILL IT SUCK?
And how. The writers did another couple of animal flicks — Mighty Joe Young and Planet of the Apes. And if you’re still not convinced, they also did Mercury Rising, The Beverly Hillbillies and Superman IV.

Incidentally, if you ever wondered what they had to put in the credits if animals were harmed during the making, it’s something like the film included “an at-risk segment unauthorized by American Humane, resulting in injury or death of an animal,” which PETA wants put in due to a couple on set accidents that resulted in just that, except that the AHA was on hand.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It’s not so much competition as a lack of awareness that might hurt this film. $12mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If Alison Lohman could not get nods for White Oleander or Matchstick Men, she ain’t getting one for this.

Limited

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS — 3-D

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Same as before, but you wear glasses this time.

WILL IT SUCK?
I think you pretty much know already whether or not you like the movie. The only question is whether or not it will be enhanced by a 3-D re-mastering, although they apparently messed with the soundtrack, too, which makes me nervous. What little I’ve seen of the new wave of 3-D in general is pretty damn impressive, so it’ll probably be worth it, especially since the glasses finally look cool.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Flicka’s a bit of an issue, but the real problem is that, by nature, this is kind of a limited release. Still, a lot of parents are going to want their kids to see this. $26mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Are re-releases even eligible? If so, I think Gone With the Wind would have even more Oscars.

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Adaptation of the best-selling Augusten Burroughs novel about a kid who grows up raised by his mother’s therapist.

WILL IT SUCK?
Do you like Nip/Tuck, cos’ the writer/director done did a lot of that. His next film is called Why Can’t I Be Audrey Hepburn, which makes me smile.

Early buzz, however, is not good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This is arguably the second biggest indie release of the month, what with the property, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow and Evan Rachel Wood and the heat on tell-alls right now (although that last part is largely hype, imho). $16mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Bad reviews could sink everybody but Bening.

SLEEPING DOGS LIE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Woman shares a dirty secret with her fiancé which, if you were paying any attention at all during Sundance, you already know what it is.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is kind of “meh,” which is a step up from Bob Goldthwait’s last writing/directing gig, Shakes the Clown.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I don’t know that it’s improved its station all that much by moving here from last month. $3mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
There is no category for this secret.

Next Week: The race to make enough money to justify a Saw IV is on!