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DVD Release of the Week: 'A Colbert Christmas' - Hartford Courant
Stephen Colbert parodies every cheesy celebrity holiday special ever made with this rude, funny yuletide romp. Those who take Christmas dead seriously will find it offensive or confounding. But they need to loosen up and embrace humor about getting high in a manger and blowing away people who say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
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'Tropic Thunder' Lacks Spark - Hartford Courant
" Tropic Thunder" has a good premise. It starts on the set of a Vietnam War movie being shot in Southeast Asia, and nothing is going right. The actors aren't getting along, and technical glitches culminate in a $4 million special-effects blast going off when there are no cameras rolling. All of which is bad news for fading action star Tugg Speedman ( Ben Stiller), who's banking on the film to revive his career.
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New on DVD: 'Wall-E,' 'Garden Party' - Hartford Courant
Wall-E• Walt Disney Home Video, 2008
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'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' - Hartford Courant
Writer/director Guillermo del Toro continues to present visually stunning movies (see "Pan's Labyrinth").
In "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," he returns to his unlikely superhero, a 7-foot-tall red alien with horns who came to Earth during World War II and was raised by Professor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), a psychic.
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'Christmas on Mars: A Fantastical Film Freakout Featuring the Flaming Lips' - Hartford Courant
Finally, we have the makings of a holiday tradition for weird families -- and wouldn't you know it, the Flaming Lips are involved.
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New on DVD: 'The Lone Ranger: 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition;' 'Love Songs;' 'Opium: Diary of a Madwoman' - Hartford Courant
The Lone Ranger: 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition, Classic Media, 1949: Like every kid who grew up in the '50s, I learned to talk "Injun" from watching countless Saturday-morning episodes of "The Lone Ranger." "Him no enemy; him friend; me rescue him," we'd say to each other in countless rounds of cowboys and Indians.
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'Waterworld,' Released Again, Has Its Good Points - Hartford Courant
When this disc arrived in my mail, I couldn't help but be amused. Hasn't "WaterWorld" given its producers enough agita and ridicule? Why bring on more by releasing an extended cut?
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New on DVD: 'Spin City: The Complete First Season' - Hartford Courant
Spin City: The Complete First SeasonShout Factory!, 1996
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Release of the Week: 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' - Hartford Courant
Here's a perfect popcorn movie for parents and kids to share. The source material is a hit, courtesy of Jules Verne. Brendan Fraser is a solid action star. Josh Hutcherson has the proper gee-whiz blend of teen in need of a strong male role model. And Anita Briem is a can-do mountain guide with strong MacGyver qualities.
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Release of the week: ''Kiss of the Spider Woman' - Hartford Courant
Many movies don't hold up decades after release, especially movies about subjects that were cutting-edge then and aren't so much now, like homosexuality. "Kiss of the Spider Woman," being released on DVD for the first time today, is a wonderful exception. Maybe that's because it isn't really about homosexuality.
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New on DVD: 'The Incredible Hulk,' 'Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,' 'The Strangers,' 'The Stone Angel,' 'Sunday School Musical' - Hartford Courant
The Incredible Hulk ( Universal Studios, 2008) - Derided as it was for the cartoony monster and psychobabble-driven plot, at least Ang Lee's 2003 "Hulk" made some bold choices and showed some story-telling ambition. The newest take on the green monster, directed by Louis Leterrier, does little that you wouldn't expect.
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Indy Tips His Famous Hat To Connecticut Several Times - Hartford Courant
It's always fun when you recognize your hometown in a movie. Locals can see plenty in " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," out on DVD today. In the excellent extras disc, director Steven Spielberg and company describe their location shots for the fourth installment in the adventure series starring the still-game Harrison Ford as the archaeology teacher who looks good in a leather jacket and fedora.
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New on DVD: The Night of the White Pants; Standard Operating Procedure - Hartford Courant
The Night of the White Pants, Image Entertainment, 2008: Tom Wilkinson is fun to watch in this otherwise uninteresting comedy. It's about Max, a Dallas millionaire on the skids. His trophy second wife left him, he lost his business, he's ill, his son is on drugs and his daughter is in love with Raff, her brother's dealer. Max goes on a tear with Raff and winds up in chaotic situations. Wilkinson has Southern-fried charm to burn — which is noteworthy, since he's British — and his scenes with Frances Fisher, as his sexy first wife, have spark. It's nice to see Geri Jewell, an actress with cerebral palsy, portray the force that keeps the family together. But the story is contrived and the levity feels forced. R, for drug use and language.
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Richard Jenkins Makes 'The Visitor' Fly - Hartford Courant
Character actor Richard Jenkins is probably best known for his role in the TV series "Six Feet Under," but he's been in a ton of other things and you'll recognize him even if you don't know his name. He gets the starring role in "The Visitor," and is the best thing going for the movie.
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Short Takes: The Happening, You Don't Mess With The Zohan, Boy A, Mobile - Hartford Courant
The Happening (20th Century Fox, 2008) — Let's face it. M. Night Shyamalan peaked with "The Sixth Sense." This latest film involves a mysterious plant-produced toxin spread by the wind that incites humans to kill themselves. The moral: Humans better clean up the planet or Mother Earth will get rid of them. Unwatchable, no matter how cute Mark Wahlberg is. R.
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An Ironclad Choice For Downey - Hartford Courant
IRON MAN• 2008 superhero action movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Jon Favreau. Paramount Home Entertainment. 125 minutes. Rated PG for warfare and cartoonish violence. DVD includes making-of documentary, Downey's screen test, and a six-part "History of the Hero."
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Short Takes: Bigger Stronger Faster, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, Taxi to the Dark Side - Hartford Courant
Bigger Stronger Faster (Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2008) Chris Bell's absorbing documentary about performance-enhancing drugs is remarkably even-handed and wide-ranging. The movie criticizes people who are addicted to anabolic steroids, including his two brothers. It also slams public overreaction to drug use. In addition, the film debunks myths about the drugs — such as 'roid rage and the drugs' effects on the body — by citing hard statistics. Bell interviews a terrific array of people, including disgraced Olympian Ben Johnson, his rival Carl Lewis, other athletes, doctors, gym rats, sportswriters and even artist Stan Lee, whose comic-book heroes instill in young boys a desire to be superhuman. In the final analysis, Bell places the blame not on the drugs but on Americans' obsession with being the best at everything, even if it means cheating.
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No Touchdown For Renée Zellweger This Time Around - Hartford Courant
LEATHERHEADS 2008 period comedy directed by George Clooney, from a script by Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly. Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 114 minutes, PG-13 for language. DVD has deleted scenes, making-of documentary, feature on the film's football sequences, outtakes reel, audio commentary by Clooney and producer Grant Heslov.
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'Young@Heart' Documentary Sings Of The Power Of Growing Old - Hartford Courant
In the documentary "Young@Heart," filmmaker Stephen Walker shows there is drama in even the most ordinary events.
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Short Takes: 'Noise'; 'Before the Rains';. 'Finding Amanda'; 'Snow Angels'; 'Tortured' - Hartford Courant
Noise (Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2008) — Fed up with car alarms that go on forever, Tim Robbins' David Owen begins his anti-noise mission by deflating the cars' tires. This leads to breaking into cars to disconnect the alarms and eventually to becoming a full-blown vigilante known throughout the city as the Rectifier. He gets arrested, his wife (Bridget Moynihan) leaves him, and he takes up with a young Russian woman (Margarita Levieva) who convinces him to go legit and take his cause to city hall.
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Release of the Week: 'The Fall' - Hartford Courant
In simplest terms " The Fall" is a love letter to early movie making and the power of imagination. But there is nothing simple about the film. Tarsem Singh spent four years touring the world to find the right locations to tell his fantastical story.
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New on DVD: 'The Case for Faith,' 'Married Life,' 'Outsourced,' 'Water Lilies' - Hartford Courant
The Case for Faith ( La Mirada Films, 2008) — The documentary version of Lee Strobel's book, in which he chronicled his journey from atheism to Christianity, is certainly passionate. And it is being released at an appropriate time, because Bill Maher's atheist-rallying-cry documentary, " Religulous," is coming out soon.
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'Son Of Rambow' Is An Indie Treasure - Hartford Courant
SON OF RAMBOW — 2007 comedy written and directed by Garth Jennings. Running time: 96 minutes. Rated PG-13 for some violence and reckless behavior. A Paramount Vantage release.
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'The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season' - Zap2It
Not much more can be said about the greatness of "The Wire," the HBO series that ended its brilliant five-season run in March. Put simply, it's one of the great achievements in television history.
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Amy Adams Steals Every Scene In 'Miss Pettigrew' - Hartford Courant
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY
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Short Takes: 'Bra Boys,' 'CJ7,' 'Irina Palm,' 'The Killing Gene' 'Juncture' - Hartford Courant
Bra Boys (WEA Corp DVD, 2007) — This documentary is about Australian surfing tribes, focusing on men in Sydney's Mourebra projects, among whom are some of the world's best surfers. The Bra Boys are like a street gang, and have gotten a lot of bad ink in the Aussie press. This film gives their side of the story. It's interesting in an anthropological sense, as a study of how gangs come to be. Also, the surfing footage is terrific; every wave is a crystalline, shoot-perfect curl. But the film's target audience lives on the other side of the world. It's difficult to imagine American audiences caring much. "Bra Boys" also has the disadvantage of being directed by Sunny Abberton, whose family is front and center in the story. The lack of any attempt at objectivity is, increasingly, a common problem with documentaries. But interviewing yourself goes too far. Couldn't they have hired someone else to make the film? Unrated, with violence, language.
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TV on DVD: 'Caroline in the City: Season 1' - Hartford Courant
Caroline in the City: Season 1 — Single good-looking girl, good-looking sometimes-boyfriend, good-looking male assistant, good-looking female neighbor — and good-looking New York City loft — how can you lose?
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Good Video Hunting: "Camp Out" - Hartford Courant
Camp Out (Liberation Entertainment, 2006) — This Kirk Marcolina and Larry Grimaldi documentary about a camp for devoutly Christian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) teenagers is heartwarming. The 10 teens who camped there in 2004 are an endearing bunch. They're open about the societal pressure to give up either their faith or their sexuality, and they're thankful for the counselors who urge them to keep both, because the counselors understand that giving either up is impossible. (There are Gs and Ls here, but no Bs or Ts. If the camp ever gets any, that would make a good sequel because different, important questions might arise.) One of the counselors has a story of his own, about being accepted as a gay pastor by his whole congregation, that is so beautiful, it may make you cry. "Camp Out" has a nice message, which needs to reach a wider audience: If God created these people, and God makes no mistakes, that leaves haters with no leg to stand on. Not rated.
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Release of the Week: 'Pete Seeger: The Power of Song' - Hartford Courant
What a terrific movie. It's not just a biography of a remarkable man, but a history of 20th-century American progressive politics. From the late '30s until today, Pete Seeger was there, in the forefront, working to do what he thought was the right thing.
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'Vampyr' DVD One For The Ages - Hartford Courant
Disembodied shadows dance on a wall. Invisible assailants attack a man. Barks are heard, but there are no dogs. A vampire, and the vampire's assistant, lurk in the shadows.
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New on DVD: `Nim's Island' - Associated Press
Past child star Jodie Foster and Hollywood's current go-to girl
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'Step Up 2: The Streets' - Zap2It
If you're the kind of person who liked "Step Up" enough to check out the sequel "Step Up 2: The Streets," then no precautions needed about suspending disbelief or loving dance to the exclusion of needing a compelling story. Since DVD rentals often involve less enthusiasm and more curiosity, however, it's good to note that the bonus features do a creditable job of capturing the passion of street dancing and first-time director Jon M. Chu's love for the film.
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Release of the Week: 'Stop-Loss' - Hartford Courant
"Stop-Loss" is a story of unrequited love. It's about men who give selflessly to the object of their devotion, only to have that devotion spit back into their faces with contempt.
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Release of the Week: 'Drillbit Taylor' - Hartford Courant
This is one tired movie. Owen Wilson plays his usual laconic surfer dude in the film about nerdy high school freshmen looking for a bodyguard.
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Release of the Week: 'In Bruges' - Hartford Courant
This will be among 2008's top movies next January, though it's doubtful it will receive any Academy Award nominations. Movies released in February are rarely remembered that long, and black comedies full of bloodshed aren't usually Oscar material (except for "Pulp Fiction").
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Short Takes: 'Rails & Ties,' 'Boarding Gate,' 'On the Doll,' 'The Chair,' 'Razor Eaters,' 'Otis' - Hartford Courant
Rails & Ties (Warner, 2007) — Alison Eastwood, daughter of Clint, directed this contrived weepie that works despite itself, propelled by strong performances by old pros Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden and a remarkable youngster, Miles Heizer, now 14. He has the difficult, pivotal role of Davey, whose mother commits suicide by train — a train operated by Tom (Bacon). His wife, Megan (Harden), is dying of cancer after a long, up-and-down fight that now appears lost. Tom has disengaged emotionally, leaving Megan to cope on her own. An unlikely twist delivers Davey into their home, setting off a magical synergy that helps them all recover psychologically, if not physically. It's difficult to watch this film without feeling manipulated, but don't let that stop you. PG-13.
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Review: 'The Other Boleyn Girl' - Hartford Courant
( Sony, 2008) This glossy melodrama is based on Phillipa Gregory's novel, which has already been made into a BBC miniseries. Gregory is fast and loose with her history.
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Release Of The Week: 'Snakes On A Plane' - Hartford Courant
It's impossible for anyone aware of pop-culture phenomena to approach "Snakes on a Plane" without preconceived notions, positive, negative or neutral. If you're a member of its online, pre-release fan community, you'll think it's gonna rock. If you're not, you'll just wonder what the big deal is. If the thought of the nameless masses interfering in the production of a movie annoys you, you'll want to hate it.
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