Well guys, another week, another crop of DVDs. As always, the ones I’m most interested in are on top…
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High
From what I hear, this Canadian doc takes a long, hard look at the entire industry set up around the illegal sale of marijuana, and then discusses the overall effects of its prohibition. Its only theatrical release was at film festivals, but it won the usual awards, and I’m definitely intrigued to learn more about the much-maligned cannabis plant. The recent spate of mafia wars in Mexico should have (I hope) reminded us that the criminalization of the drug affects us all — not just the potheads out there.
See it if you liked The Corporation, Super High Me or probably any Cheech and Chong movie
An American Affair
Okay, this one got terrible reviews, but I’m still intrigued. Apparently, it’s a drama about JFK and his various — *ahem* — exploits. Gretchen Mol is rumored to give a pretty good performance in this one, and there’s intrigue, sex and mystery, and — what can I say? — it’s set in the 60’s, and I’m a sucker for that era. Sign me up.
See it if you liked The American President or JFK
Acolytes
I hadn’t heard of this one at all before researching this post, and the title is so generic that I’m not even sure if I have the right poster to the left there. Whatever. It’s an Australian horror flick about some kids who run afoul of a serial killer. I know, original, right? But it’s sitting at an 83% at Rotten Tomatoes…which is nothing to sneeze at, for a horror film.
See it if you like either (1) Australians or (2) serial killers
Miss March
Okay, so here’s the thing…the Playboy enterprise can’t make money off of selling porn anymore. I mean, no one really can, since everyone’s giving it away on the Internet, right? So how do they bring in the cash? They sell their name. You know, like those purses with rhinestone bunnies on them? The ones that lousy parents buy for their ten-year-old girls? Yeah. And I really should hate it. I really should. Especially when it comes to theatrical films that are clearly intended to sell hedonistic lies to young crowds. But The House Bunny was just so funny. And the premise behind this one (guy gets knocked into a coma the night of his senior prom, then wakes up a decade later to find that his date is a Playmate) is just funny enough that I almost want to see it…even if it’s terrible (which it apparently is). Yep, Mr. Hefner is leading us all down a moral sewer, but whatever. I guess I should go get my moral compass adjusted.
See it if you think Hugh needs another ivory backscratcher.
Bart Got a Room
This is choice #2 for those of you looking for a nerd-gets-lucky-on-prom-night movie. Odds are it’s considerably better than Miss March, but I can’t really find any info on it. It’s sitting right around 50 at Metacritic, so who knows. Could be great, could be awful, but either way I’d probably enjoy it. Check it out if you’re like me…you know who you are.
See it if you wonder who Bart is and what kind of room he got
Dragonball: Evolution
In Japan, nothing’s official until it’s adapted into anime…in the U.S., nothing’s official until it’s a feature-length, live-action film. So the Dragonball franchise started out as manga (Japanese comic books), and it became a hit, so they made it into an anime series. Then the anime series was a hit in the U.S., so they made the obligatory live-action film. Also, they gave it the subtitle Evolution, because there’s a law in Hollywood that every sequel or remake has to be subtitled either Evolution or Requiem. (One wonders if anyone in Hollywood even knows what evolutions or requiems are. Whatever.) I won’t pretend to be an anime afficianado, and I didn’t see this one, but I hear it’s decent if you’re a fan. So there you go.
See it if you know what a Super Saiyan is.
Fast & Furious
And speaking of awkwardly titled sequels…okay, I know this is obvious, and I know no one cares but me, but indulge me for a second. The first film was The Fast and the Furious. Kind of cheesy, but they movie was kind of cheesy too, so it worked. Then the second was 2 Fast 2 Furious.It was at that moment that I knew someone really stupid was in charge of naming these things. (Not to mention that that godawful pun doesn’t even work in any language other than English…I was in Mexico when that one came out, at it was promoted there as +Rapido +Furioso. I have no idea how you’re supposed to say that out loud.) The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift sort of made sense…if you take it as an admission that “This movie really has nothing to do with the other two, but we know you’re more likely to see it if we borrow their title.” But Fast & Furious? Really? That’s like making a a sequel to Rambo III and calling it Rambo…oh, wait.
See it if you have a shrine to Vin Diesel in your bedroom
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