The DVD Review

My wife and I have an 8 month old son. He’s just at that age where he’ll remain content for about an hour to 90 minutes, then start complaining in general terms. As a result, a first-run movie, unfortunately, is a rare occasion. So I’ve become NetFlix‘ biggest fan. I’m getting my money’s worth on that $18 per month. I figure my average rental fee on any one movie is less than a dollar.

Anyway, all of this inspired me to kick off a new section – the DVD Review. It should be subtitled “I Watch The Crap So You Don’t Have To.”

With the long weekend last week and the uneventful week this week, I had time to chew through a number of flicks. There were a couple of gems, and a bunch of crap. So here we go.

The 40 Year Old Virgin – Greatness. The humor is raw and course (which my wife hates) and there is a lot of profanity that seemed unnecessary (the chest waxing scene could have been funnier with fewer f-bombs and more of the “Kelly Clarkson” shtick. I think him screaming random oddities would have been better than the names he kept calling the woman. The story is cute and moves along well. The only major issue I had with the story line was the Paul Rudd “girlfriend” thing. It added nothing.

The Brothers Grimm – The movie grim. It’s 30 minutes of my life I’ll never get back. It would have been 118 minutes, but at about 30, I couldn’t take the pain any longer and hit eject. The Bush Administration should use this movie to interrogate al-Qaeda suspects.

Four Brothers – I don’t know where to start with this golden turd. I think a friend summed it up best… “Where do these guys live that you can have a shoot out with full automatic weapons in the middle of the street, in broad daylight, for 20 minutes, and not a single cop shows up?” That was just one of two elements of suspended disbelief that I had trouble with. The rest of the movie was the other.

Must Love Dogs – This was a good date movie. The wife and I both enjoyed it. It’s sugary and sappy as all date movies are supposed to be, but it was fun. Pop it in when your wife/girlfriend wants to curl up on the couch. It’s one that she’ll enjoy and you can accept.

Saving Grace – I have a fondness for absurd British comedy. Still Crazy, Waking Ned Devine, and The Full Monty are great flicks even if you have to watch them twice to understand what the characters are saying. Saving Grace fits nicely into this category.

Into The Blue – If you liked 2 Fast 2 Furious (not the original, but the sequel) than you might like this. Just don’t expect it to move along as quickly. It’s not the most exciting movie, but if you’re into Scuba diving, some of the underwater shots are really nice.

Alexander – My thoughts? Watch Troy instead. I expected a movie about Alexander the Great. Instead, I got a movie that felt like I was sitting in on a therapy session for ATG. This movie was less Braveheart and more Analyze This. I really don’t care if Alexander the Great was neurotic because his father didn’t love him. And what the hell is the deal with Oliver Stone movies? This guy seems to spend a lot of time trying to tell us why nobody is responsible for their own actions.

So there you have it. The first round of the DVD Review. Visit us next week when we’ll try to get around to Danny Deckchair, The Constant Gardener, and Hustle & Flow

Share

Tags