December's DVD Reviews,
Part I
Quick reviews from my Netflix queue and/or
the library.
300, 2006
This movie is beautiful in more
than just the homoerotic ways you're imagining (but there's some titties
in it too, don't worry). It's just an amazing piece of work for anyone
who appreciates art. No Greco-Roman fetish required.
Golden Compass,
2007
Not as good as I was hoping, but
if you're a chick and/or like Harry Potter or Lion, the Witch,
and the Wardrobe, you'll dig it. There'll sequels, so you might
as well get on board now instead of playing catch-up later.
Zodiac,
2007
I grew up watching serial killer
hunt tv movies of the week with my federal investigator dad, so maybe there's
a soft spot in my heart for detective stories of this variety, but that
being said, this is just an awesome flick (though many will find it overly
long since they didn't trim a lot of the details).
Rome: Season
1, Disc 3
More of the same. It's a
soap opera, I'll admit, but one where you're guaranteed nudity.
Muppets Take
Manhattan, 1984
Cute. I'd say more about
it, but I'm catering here to the reading level of the target viewship.
Creepshow,
1982
I saw this years ago when it first
hit video (back when there weren't many videos at all, really), and I liked
it. Honestly, it does a better job of being faithful to the source
material (i.e., EC Comics) than other anthology films like The Twlight
Zone that were "updated" to the point they were unrecognizable.
The Facts of
Life, 1960
Lucille Ball and Bob Hope contemplate
having an affair. Given how usexy and unfunny that premise and combination
are, respectively, you have less reasons for watching it than I have regrets
for having done so.
The Office:
Season 3: Disc 1, 2006
I'll say it again, I loved the
BBC version so much that I wanted this one to fail. But it never
does. It's a different brand of magic here than the original, but
it casts a spell over pretty much everyone who watches it, incluing Dani
and I.
Storytelling,
2001
A really neat flick by Welcome
to the Dollhouse writer/director Todd Solondz. He manages to
make you alternately uncomfortable and then get you laughing. By
the end, you're experiencing seemingly incompatible emotions simultaneously.
He should patent that.
Street Smart,
1987
Christopher Reeve actually made
Superman IV so the studio would finance this. I don't know if it
was worth that much of a sacrifice, but this was an interesting enough
picture that I'm recommending it.
Space Academy:
The Complete Series: Disc 1, 1977
It's just Jason of Star Command
with different characters who have even less personality.
Strange Days,
1995
Back when it first came out, this
really didn't look all that interesting to me, so I didn't get around to
it until recently. Even if Juliette Lewis wasn't so smokin' hot and
naked through most of this that I forgot she was a scientologist for a
minute, I would still recommend it. Not a masterpiece, but it's a
pretty solid movie.
30 Rock: Season
1: Disc 1, 2006
Personally, I'd be more into this
show if it was Amy Poehler instead of Tina Fey, which is a surprise that
I'd go for the blonde from this pair, but it really isn't bad at all.
Good writing. I'm not sure why I'm not as into is as Dani is.
Some Kind of
Wonderful, 1987
Okay, you caught me. I only
watched this because Mary Stuart Masterson plays the tomboy. Still,
it's enjoyable enough and I'm probably preaching to the choir anyway because
no one under 40 hasn't seen this and at least three or four movies written
by John Hughes.
Following,
1998
This one slipped under my radar,
but it's Christopher Nolan's first film, and is a pretty good one.
I'm not telling you what it's about either, so you know that it must be
worth watching.
My Blue Heaven,
1990
Yet another one that I missed
out on growing up. It just didn't look very good. It really
isn't, although Steve Martin actuall does quite a lot with a character
that's very two-dimensional as he's written. The movie does alright
through the first two acts, then falls flat when the end manages to tie
things up entirely too neatly in too short a dismount.
PICKS OF THE
LITTER: A lot to chose from here, but if we break it down by demographics,
then Following for the independent film fans, Zodiac for
the David Fincher fans (Yes, much overlap; rent both then), Strange
Days for anyone who hasn't had cable in the last decade, and 300
for the gay men (including the ones trapped in a woman's body; btw call
me!)..
Copyright 2007
Ale[x]plorer.