The Movie Report / Film Flam Flummox - blog.TheMovieReport.com

New in Stores on DVD & Blu-ray: May 15, 2012

2012-05-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

PLUS:

Idris Elba on CBS This Morning

2012-05-14T14:06:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to visit my Films of Idris Elba site.

Movie Music Monday: Bollywood goes dubstep

2012-05-14T03:30:00.000-07:00

Yash Chopra meets Skrillex in this big tune from the film Ishaqzaade, "Aafaton Ke Parinde." Composer Amit Trivedi melds the breakbeats and electronic rhythms of dubstep with more traditional Hindi film instrumentation and vocal style to create something at once completely in line with both seemingly disparate genres and yet wholly original and exciting. (Now I want a 7Wallace Bollywood track...)

New in Stores on DVD & Blu-ray: May 8, 2012

2012-05-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

PLUS:

New in Stores on DVD & Blu-ray: May 1, 2012

2012-05-01T21:20:00.001-07:00

PLUS:

Restless City opens today, Friday, April 27

2012-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Andrew Dosunmu's gorgeously picturesque and atmospheric drama Restless City makes its official theatrical debut in cinemas this Friday, April 27 through the AFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement. The film will initially release in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta on April 27; then expand to Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, DC the following Friday, May 4; and then will roll out to other markets in the weeks thereafter. My review of the film from last November's AFI Fest is here.

New in Stores on DVD & Blu-ray: April 24, 2012

2012-04-24T02:46:00.001-07:00

PLUS:

The Movie Report #665, April 20, 2012

2012-04-20T02:59:00.000-07:00

#665, April 20, 2012

MOVIES:

New in Stores on DVD & Blu-ray: April 17, 2012

2012-04-17T22:04:00.002-07:00

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F3PR: Disney to Release More Than 30 Films for the First Time on Blu-ray in 2012

2012-04-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS TO RELEASE
MORE THAN 30 ICONIC FILMS
FOR THE FIRST TIME ON BLU-RAY IN 2012

BURBANK, Calif. – To satisfy consumer demand and serve the growing base of Blu-ray households, The Walt Disney Studios today announced plans to add more than 30 popular and iconic films to its ever-expanding Blu-ray library. Each film selected for release has been fully digitally remastered, with dirt and anomalies cleaned to a pristine level, offering viewers optimum high definition picture and sound quality of some of their favorite films.

The films selected for release appeal to families, film-lovers and collectors with a wide-breadth of live-action, animated, romance titles that range from Beaches to While You Were Sleeping and Pocahontas to The Santa Clause. Many are celebrating special 10^th, 15^th and 20^th Anniversary Edition releases, many are Academy Award-winning films like Dead Poets Society, Evita, Dick Tracy, and many are back by popular demand including Hocus Pocus, Adventures in Babysitting, and The Color of Money.

“We receive many requests and comments from consumers seeking specific titles they’d like to own on Blu-ray and, as such, we carefully selected a number of popular films that will satisfy demand from fans worldwide,” said Lori MacPherson, Executive Vice President, Product Management, The Walt Disney Studios. “As we grow our Blu-ray catalog we will continue to utilize the best technologies to provide the most pristine and immersive in-home experience of our films.”

In 2011, consumers’ high-definition packaged media purchases continued to rise with Blu-ray disc sales in the U.S. tallying more than $2 billion. The Studio’s titles were among the most popular of the year with Academy Award nominee The Help, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Disney’s The Lion King, Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 and Disney’s Tangled all ranking in the industry’s Top 10 Blu-ray releases, according to the DEG.

The year-long campaign launched in January 2012 with the release of Good Morning, Vietnam and Dead Poets Society for the first time on Blu-ray. Both films earned Robin Williams an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and are the perfect addition to any in-home movie collection.

Beginning in May, the Studio will start to celebrate a number of film anniversaries, introducing multiple great films to Blu-ray including Father of the Bride and Bringing Down the House releasing on May 15; The Color of Money, Cocktail and Ransom releasing on June 5; Sister Act and Evita releasing on June 19; and The Horse Whisperer, Under the Tuscan Sun, Phenomenon, Step Up, Home on the Range and Treasure Planet releasing July 3.

In the fall, a perfect mix of feel-good films, anniversary releases and nostalgic favorites will debut, including Adventures in Babysitting, Grosse Pointe Blank, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, The Rescuers, High Fidelity, Ed Wood, Judge Dredd, Ghosts of the Abyss 3D, Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp’s Adventure, Pocahontas, The Tigger Movie, The Aristocats and Pete’s Dragon.

And just in time for Halloween and the holidays, a wide array of titles that make perfect stocking stuffers for film fans will include titles such as Hocus Pocus, Arachnophobia, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Son of Flubber, Cold Creek Manor, The Santa Clause, The Absent-Minded Professor, Flubber, While You Were Sleeping, Sweet Home Alabama, Beaches, Babes in Toyland, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Brother Bear and Dick Tracy.

For more information about The Walt Disney Studios upcoming Blu-ray release offerings, please visit www.DisneyBluray.com.

Movie Music Monday: "Will You Cross the Skies for Me?"

2012-04-16T14:54:00.018-07:00

I've already shone the Movie Music Monday spotlight on a tune from A.R. Rahman's score for Gautham Vasudev Menon's films Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa / Ye Maaya Chesave / Ekk Deewana Tha, but the last week I've had the title tune for the first and best version of the film, 2010's Tamil language Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, running through my head. Translated into English as "Will You Cross the Skies for Me?", this beautiful romantic tune and scene, featuring the gorgeously poetic lyrics of Thamarai, shows how this version film gets it right between all three: how Rahman's hypnotic melody, Thamarai's evocative words, and Karthik's soothing croon symbiotically support the yearning chemistry, erotic electricity, and sensual tension between Silambarasan and Trisha.

A review of the Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa Blu-ray is coming soon.

The Movie Report #664, April 13, 2012

2012-04-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

#664, April 13, 2012

MOVIES:

Review: Think Like a Man

2012-04-12T15:29:00.003-07:00

; Rated PG-13
BUY THE:
POSTER!
SOUNDTRACK!
BOOK!

The idea of a film based on Steve Harvey's bestseller Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man sounds more than a bit dubious; after all, a narrative feature based on what is essentially a self-help book? But with Think Like a Man, director Tim Story and screenwriters Keith Merryman and David A. Newman have unlocked the material in as cinematic a way as ideally possible. They go beyond merely using the title as a springboard for a premise (like, for instance, He's Just Not That into You) and consistently calling back to the source in a way that made sense to the plot lines, fashioning it into basically another character--and Harvey's book is the troublemaker of the ensemble that shakes up the romantic status quo for most of the rest of the canvas: The Player (Romany Malco), The Mama's Boy (Terrence J), The Dreamer (Michael Ealy), The Non-Committer (Jerry Ferrara); and their respective matches, The 90-Day Rule Girl (Meagan Good), The Single Mom (Regina Hall), The Woman Who Is Her Own Man (Taraji P. Henson), and The Ring Girl (Gabrielle Union). Acting as bemused bystanders most of the way are The Happily Married Guy (Gary Owen) and, most notably, The Even Happier Divorced Guy (Kevin Hart), who narrates and comments on all the intergender byplay and--perhaps more accurately--warfare.

Those assigned labels are not my own snarky, reductive invention. While this is another of the wave of large ensemble rom-coms where everyone generally falls into an identifiable character type, making for a conveniently, if not always realistically, varied canvas to follow, Story and the writers not only acknowledge but rather proudly own such a contrivance/convention from the jump, from Hart's introductory voiceover identifying the guys to even title cards identifying each pairing. This also nicely serves to solidify the connection with the source material, taking types from the book and thus having certain scenarios from it play out in storylines in the film proper. Of course, mere self-awareness of the types and formulae don't make compelling viewing alone. There needs to be the right actors to bring them life and personality, and across the board everyone fits their part like a glove, both in ways that fit their established wheelhouses (such as the jovially wisecracking Hart) or show sides they had not yet had the opportunity to do so on screen (such the gifted Henson, finally getting an opportunity to fulfill her Glamorous Romantic Leading Lady destiny; relative big screen newcomer Terrence, who is a bit of a revelation; Chris Brown, in an amusingly goofy turn).

Even more crucial, however, is the chemistry between the actors, and in terms of both the romantic couples and the camaraderie between the guys and girls, and on both counts the film gets it right, having both the agreeable, infectious sense of humor and genuine, welcoming likability and therefore investment. Also helping immeasurably is that the flavor of each duet, much like the character types, have their distinctive flavor and appeal. Union and Ferrara have the believable, warmly "lived-in" energy of a pair that's been together for what feels like forever (a nice costuming touch is having her often wear clothes that are clearly his). On the opposite end are Henson and Ealy, bringing the intense erotic heat of immediate, impetuous passion while also forging a palpable connection that could serve as a foundation for something deeper. Lying between those two are the very cute Terrence/Hall coupling, who easily convince that there would be a genuine and substantial rapport despite their differences in age and circumstance; and the sexual suppression and resulting tension of the Malco/Good pairing makes for choice comic moments and a satisfying, cathartic release as their relationship blooms into something neither of them planned nor expected.

Bringing it all together is Story, and as he showed in the original Barbershop, he not only knows how to bring balance to such an expansive multi-character and -story piece but also make every thread feel part of a cohesive whole. No one story nor character dominates (though, naturally, there are scene/movie stealers--and the timing could not be more perfect for Hart, coming off of the box office success of Laugh at My Pain, and more than likely this will be the big springboard for a proper, major starring vehicle for his considerable comic talents), and everyone gets a chance to shine, whether comically or dramatically or both. Story's able, indispensable guidance is almost certain to be underrated, given how this is of the most notoriously formula of genres and hence is more notably personality/actor-driven. But one need only look at Garry Marshall's recent twin fiascoes of holiday-themed ensemble rom-coms, Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve, to see just how such a film requires a strong, careful directorial hand--which, ultimately, is how and why Think Like a Man ends up being one of the best mainstream date movies to come out in recent memory.

Order the Think Like a Man poster here.
Order the Think Like a Man soundtrack here.
Order the Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man book here.

Marking 22 years of film reviewing today, April 10...

2012-04-10T12:14:00.005-07:00

Today marks the dual anniversary of both when I first started writing film reviews 22 years ago and when I launched the e-mail newsletter The Movie Report 17 years ago. Many thanks for your continued readership and support, and please support below.

New in Stores on DVD & Blu-ray: April 10, 2012

2012-04-10T00:41:00.009-07:00

PLUS:

New in Stores on DVD & Blu-ray: April 3, 2012

2012-04-03T00:12:00.019-07:00

PLUS:

Movie Music Monday: the "Why This Kolaveri Di?" phenom

2012-04-02T13:22:00.008-07:00

This past weekend saw the release of the Indian romantic drama 3, whose release had been much anticipated since one of its original songs, "Why This Kolaveri Di?" ("Why This Murderous Rage?"), became a most unexpected viral Internet phenomenon across the globe (that is, as usual, except in any wide form in the U.S.) when it was leaked online a few months ago. That it caused such a sensation was and is rather unusual for a variety of reasons, one being that it is primarily in the regional South Indian language of Tamil, not the more widely reaching "Bollywood" tongue of Hindi, with generous smatterings of English (in short, in "Tanglish"); and second, it's a very context-driven drunken situational number in the film proper (my review of which will post later this week), not an elaborate dance-driven production number. That said, this tune composed by Anirudh Ravichander and featuring both lyrics and (in an Indian film rarity) singsong vocals by the film's star Dhanush is the sneakiest of earworms, its lazy yet irresistibly catchy vibe somehow impossible to shake after first listen.

But as with any viral sensation, the real fun lies in all of the varied spinoffs it inspires. There have been the expected flash mobs to the song around the world, including this one in Houston in February:

For me, though, the really creative offshoots are the various remixes, covers, and response tracks to the song. Here are my personal favorites of the many splattered across YouTube.

First, this smooth English language R&B cover by Arjun:

Taking things a step further, Charles Bosco's club-ready cover interpolating Arjun's aforementioned English language version with the original Tamil verses performed by Jackson Bosco:

Then one step further still, Ankit Love's crazy electro-rap version:

And, last and certainly not least, a most excellent instrumental heavy metal cover:

My review of Aishwarya R. Dhanush's 3 will be up in the next few days.

Download "Why This Kolaveri Di?" here.
Buy the 3 soundtrack here.

(Special thanks to Tamil Padam for their assistance in screening the film)

Review: The Last Fall

2012-03-29T18:15:00.002-07:00

; Not Rated

The main character of Matthew A. Cherry's debut feature The Last Fall, Kyle Bishop (Lance Gross), can indeed be counted as part of the curtain- and eyebrow-raising statistic about professional football players taken from the pages of Sports Illustrated: 78% are divorced, bankrupt, or unemployed within two years after leaving the game. The latter two apply to Kyle, who, as the film opens, is cut from his latest squad, and having already journeyed through various cities and across various teams in various inconsequential capacities, he gets a rude awakening that at only 25, his dream career has come to an end. With no money and nowhere to go, he retreats back to his mother's (Vanessa Bell Calloway) house as he struggles to figure out his next move--or, more importantly, figure out who exactly he truly is.

That last point underscores just how well that opening stat sets the stage for the film beyond a simple plot application. If there is one unifying thread for the entire film, it's neither football nor sports in general, but the shattering of illusions. In terms of the characters of that come into Kyle's orbit and the viewing audience itself, Cherry debunks the widely held notion that all pro athletes have wealthy livelihoods and lead glamorous lives; Kyle's situation reflects the workaday majority for whom playing sports for a paycheck is a dream but, at the end of a day, a job. That reality is the crux of Kyle's predicament: he had a dream, worked his entire life to achieve it, and accordingly was blessed to live it, albeit not in exactly the most idealized fashion. But generally no one ever comes to think about needing to do anything after the dream, and having been so identified by it for so long--by others and himself--Kyle falls into a state of limbo even more internal than external, confronted with the task of once and for all defining himself apart from what it is that he does.

Cherry doesn't follow the obvious nor easy directions that would follow that set-up. The return home would suggest a clichéd "rejuvenating rediscovery of roots" arc, but going back proves to be a necessary step not so much to regress back to basics than to witness how those close to him have been able to progress and evolve beyond what had been familiar to him. His mother is living the active dating life of a mature single woman; his kid sister (Yaani King) is in the growing pains of becoming a young adult; and, to his greatest surprise, Faith Davis (Nicole Beharie), the high school sweetheart he abandoned in favor of gridiron glory, is now a single mom. The reconnected relationship between Kyle and Faith best exemplifies Cherry's sensitive, complex, and realistic approach to the film as a whole. While there is that genuine warmth and affection that comes with longtime familiarity, there's also a certain tentativeness, particularly on her end. Not only is she in a different space in her life, she is secure in that--and with the recognition and understanding that he is not in his own similar place of security, she can enjoy these new moments with him for what they are, without any grand expectations. For Kyle, his desire to make amends and start anew with her is complicated, if not contradicted, by his continued expectation that the dream of the pro baller can and will still continue.

That sense of suspended animation appropriately informs Cherry's approach to the entire film. It's a very introspective story for all of the characters, and accordingly the pace is fairly slow and the tone is generally quite subdued. With histrionics kept to a minimum--even in the comparatively bigger dramatic moments--it is that much more up to the actors to engage the audience, and Cherry's trust in them proves to be well placed. Gross displays a heretofore unseen depth and piercing subtlety to match his natural charisma, Kyle's existential anguish vividly coming through in his expressive stillness. Every bit his match is the luminous Beharie, whose Faith is equal parts romantic vulnerability and intelligent, independent strength; their chemistry is all the more believable and affecting because it is so effortless and elegantly understated. That also applies to all those surrounding them, to whom Cherry is generous enough to give moments to shine, whether they be key supporting players such as Calloway and Keith David as Kyle's parents or a briefly seen football contemporary of Kyle's (Sinorice Moss), who has a disarming scene that poignantly reflects not only Kyle's situation but more or less that of anyone simply trying to do their best for themselves and their loved ones.

And that's where Cherry excels with The Last Fall: placing the viewer intimately into the mind and heart of its protagonist and painting an equally detailed and absorbing portrait of his life and those who inhabit it. If there is some awkwardness in the more plot-driven mechanics, such as some contrivances involving Faith's son's father (Darrin Dewitt Henson, doing good work in the story's weakest element) and some exposition that is not always the most gracefully integrated into the fabric of the dialogue, the film more than compensates with the richness of its characterization and Cherry's distinct, assured voice--one that will surely be heard even more loudly in the years to come.

Movie Music Monday: A.R. Rahman triple play

2012-03-26T12:00:00.027-07:00

For my first installment of Movie Music Monday, a triple taste of this catchy, soothingly laid back groove composed by A.R. Rahman as it appears in director Gautam Vasudev Menon's three different versions of his same romantic drama: "Omana Penne" ("My Beloved") in the 2010 Tamil language original Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (Will You Cross the Skies for Me?); "Kundanapu Bomma" ("Beautiful Doll") in the simultaneously shot Telugu language alternate cut Ye Maaya Chesave (What Magic Have You Done to Me?); and "Phoolon Jaisi" ("Like Blossoms") in the Fox-produced Hindi language version released in cinemas in February of this year, Ekk Deewana Tha (There Was a Crazy Guy). While all three takes use the same tune and are made by the same director, the differences in setting, staging, and choreography, in addition to the different approaches by the different pairs of actors, make for an interesting study.

Prometheus trailer premiere with Ridley Scott & Damon Lindelof

2012-03-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

AMC Theatres hosted a special premiere event for the first full trailer for Ridley Scott's eagerly anticipated science fiction epic Prometheus exclusively for members of the chain's loyalty program, AMC Stubs, this afternoon at their Downtown Disney District 12 multiplex in Anaheim. Hosted by AMC Movie News Blog associate editor George Roush, the screening of the trailer in the Real D 3D format was followed by a live 30-minute discussion with Scott and co-writer (with Jon Spaihts) Damon Lindelof, who fielded questions from fans both live in the theatre and via the Internet. While Scott and Lindelof were expectedly conservative with what details about the notoriously secrecy-shrouded projects they divulged, they were a bit less coy with the film's connection to Scott's seminal Alien, stopping short of calling it a direct prequel but leaving no doubt that the seeds of that classic sci-fi cinema saga begin in the new film--an admission more than reinforced by some briefly seen but no less tantalizing images in the new trailer, embedded below. Just exactly how everything fits in will be revealed when Prometheus opens on IMAX and standard screens on June 8.

3 Indian film songs that should've been up for Oscar 2011

2012-02-26T12:07:00.005-08:00

While (however rightly or wrongly) largely perceived as the authoritative barometer on the quality of any year in film, there remains one oft-overlooked fact about the Academy Awards: to even be considered for a nomination, the film has to officially be entered to the Academy. While this is a no-brainer move for all high-profile studio film and indie awards bait, a lot of more lower-profile theatrical releases end up not being submitted at all--and more often than not, the distributors of Indian cinema in North America do not bother with the paperwork. While understandable, for 2011 it's a bit of a crying shame, for this past year saw Hollywood studios make further inroads into the Indian film industry as a whole (not just Hindi-language Bollywood, but regional language cinema as well, as I will note below). Most of all, though, it's an even bigger waste considering only a paltry two songs were nominated for the Best Original Song category this year--a category that, if even a fraction of the many Indian films that get a typical 60-100 screen theatrical release in America in any given year (and the biggest of which routinely open in the box office top 20), India would rightly dominate. Given the love showered on the music of the India-set British film Slumdog Millionaire back in 2008, this isn't such a far-fetched prospect. But since only one fairly obscure Indian film (so obscure it wasn't even on my radar) bothered to submit for 2011 Oscar consideration, some of the best songs written expressly for film will continue to go unrecognized. The following are three 2011 Indian film songs that I feel should've been in the consideration pool, especially when going by the Academy nominating standard of rewarding contextual use within the film.

"Prema Lekha" from Anaganaga O Dheerudu (Once Upon a Warrior)

2011 began with a surprising expansion of Hollywood's interest in Indian cinema as Disney, already having dipped their toe into traditional Bollywood (read: Hindi-language film) in 2008 with the animated feature Roadside Romeo, forayed into regional Telugu language cinema in spectacular fashion last January with what is pretty much a traditional Disney animated musical adventure--that happens to be live action. And in Telugu. The central love duet composed by the duo Salim-Sulaiman, "Prema Lekha" ("Your Love"), is in the tradition of Disney romantic songs that have won trophies in the past, not to mention is paired with some truly beautiful visuals and vibrant fantasy costuming; one can easily see these characters appear as regulars in a hypothetical Indian Disneyland.

"Saadda Haq" from Rockstar

On the whole, Imtiaz Ali's drama about a simple musician's transformation, for better or worse, into the title celebrity is an uneven, underachieving film, but what met and exceeded expectations was the song score by established Academy favorite A.R. Rahman. "Saadda Haq" ("Our Right") is a great example of what a film song should be: narratively, it is an important touchstone for the story and character, as it marks both when he reaches the height of fame and perhaps loses his soul; musically and lyrically (Irshad Kamil penned the words), it's a wildly rousing rock anthem of rebellion bolstered by searing lead guitar work by Orianthi, best known as Michael Jackson's guitarist on This Is It. (Make sure the English subtitles are enabled in the clip below by clicking on the "CC" for captions.)

"Chammak Challo" from Ra.One

If there's any song non-submission that disappoints, frustrates, and even slightly angers me the most, it's this infectious dance number, composed by the team of Vishal & Shekhar with lyrics by Niranjan Iyengar. What makes Eros Entertainment's non-entry into the fray all the more baffling is that not only did they actually have a big premiere event for this big-budget science fiction adventure in Los Angeles this past October, but at no less than the Academy's own lavish Samuel Goldwyn Theatre at their Beverly Hills headquarters. Alas, what a great missed opportunity for an Oscar performance for the ages--multi-Grammy-nominated R&B/hip-hop artist/songwriter/producer Akon singing in Hindi as global superstar Shahrukh Khan leads a troupe of dancers? Oh, what could've been...

Films of Idris Elba update: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

2012-02-17T21:30:00.000-08:00

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has been added to the Films of Idris Elba site.

Idris Elba on Live! with Kelly

2012-02-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to visit my Films of Idris Elba site.

The Movie Report #655, February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T14:49:00.004-08:00

#655, February 3, 2012

MOVIES:

Agneepath (Path of Fire)
Big Miracle
Chronicle
Crazy Horse
Declaration of War (La Guerre Est Déclarée)
Dysfunctional Friends
The Grey
The Innkeepers
Nanban (Friend)
The Woman in Black

DVD:

Mausam (Seasons of Love)

The Movie Report #654, January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T23:08:00.003-08:00

#654, January 20, 2012

MOVIES: