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STOP! HAMMER TIME: Bart and Homer in The Simpsons Movie
FIRST SNOW (2007). Building upon an impressive indie career, Guy Pearce (Memento, The Proposition) adds another prickly personality to his resume, further revealing that here's an actor who couldn't give a damn whether audiences warm up to his characters. He plays Jimmy, an unctuous salesman who visits a fortune teller (J.K. Simmons) off the side of a New Mexico highway. The palm reader's initial predictions come true, so Jimmy is understandably upset when it's revealed that he won't live long after the first snow falls. Gripped by paranoia, he begins to plan his life around the notion that he will soon die, even as he attempts to do everything in his power to prevent his imminent death. Writers Mark Fergus (also making his directorial debut) and Hawk Ostby both had a hand in the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Children of Men, so they clearly enjoy tackling weighty issues not usually explored in current thrillers. Here, they engage in a metaphysical debate concerning the ebb and flow between destiny and free will, and whether or not an individual's attempts to alter his life only end up limiting his choices even further. The stages of Jimmy's breakdown and rebirth are gripping thanks to Pearce's intense performance, and there are notable turns by Simmons (currently seen as the dad in Juno) as the somber psychic and William Fichtner (in a rare good-guy role) as Jimmy's skeptical business associate. The subdued ending might disappoint those hoping for a more lively denouement, but really, it seems just right for a tale as chilly as this one.
The only extras on the DVD are 10 trailers for other films.
Movie: ***
INTERVIEW (2007). The true worth of Interview, a remake of a 2003 Dutch film by the late Theo van Gogh (murdered by a Muslim extremist in 2004), rests in its appeal as an actors' showcase. Take the screenplay, highlight a couple of the more emotionally volatile passages, include them in one of those books with titles like Scenes For Two Actors, and – voila! – instant gratification for theater majors on college campuses across the nation. Beyond its potential in print, however, there's very little that's memorable about the picture, which seeks to explore the strained relationship between the media and the celebrity set yet does so in a manner that's overreaching and unconvincing. Steve Buscemi (who also directed and co-wrote the adaptation with David Schechter) plays Pierre Peders, a political correspondent who's outraged that he's asked to do an interview with Katya (Sienna Miller), a B-movie actress and soap opera star known more for her off-screen exploits than her choice of roles. The pair immediately dislike each other, but as the night wears on, both begin to relax and open up to each other. Or do they? There's a measure of truth in the hostility that erupts between the journalist, who views his subject with contempt, and the star, who's angered when she feels that the line between expected media exposure and her right to privacy gets crossed. But despite fine performances by both leads, the film works better in concept than execution, with lapses in logic and a denouement that's not too hard to sniff out (not surprisingly, the picture sides with the celebrity more than the journalist). Even at a brief 84 minutes, you'll be glad when this Interview's over.
DVD extras include audio commentary by Buscemi, a discussion of Theo van Gogh and the original Interview, and a making-of featurette.
Movie: **
THE KINGDOM (2007). Part of the recent glut of movies focusing on Middle East tensions, this is basically a Rambo retread outfitted with a thin veneer of topical import. Director Peter Berg appears to be an American apologist at heart, which may explain why, after a fascinating title sequence illustrating the United States' complicated ties to Saudi Arabia (and, of course, its riches), the movie quickly devolves into a standard us-against-them revenge flick. The film opens with a shocking sequence in which a base for American families in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is destroyed by terrorists, thereby prompting a group of elite FBI agents to undergo a secret mission to find the culprits once the Saudi and U.S. governments both balk at creating an international incident. The four agents (Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) are devoid of much in the way of personality, but that's OK: Their only purpose in this story is to kill Middle Easterners. Lots of them. The message of this 110-minute movie is revealed in its very last line, meaning it arrives about 100 minutes too late. Because of this lack of clear intent, the picture has no choice except to work as a visual and aural assault on our senses: It's a cathartic palate cleanser that allows us to watch bad guys plowed down without sullying our own hands. There's a sympathetic Saudi officer (Ashraf Barhoum, very good) who, by providing the few moments of warmth, might diffuse arguments that Berg's movie isn't antiterrorist but anti-Middle East – a huge difference, for those who didn't realize.
DVD extras include deleted scenes, a making-of piece, a breakdown of the explosive freeway sequence, and an interactive timeline of Saudi history.
Movie: **1/2
NFL GREATEST GAMES SERIES: 1999 ST. LOUIS RAMS (2007). How many of us football fans have in the past had to rely on taping our favorite team's games on videocassette, thereby forced to clumsily edit out all those annoying commercials and sitcom plugs and left with a grainy, badly spliced VHS tape? Well, no more. The National Football League, finally getting wise to the glories of DVD, has started to issue sets under the banner of "NFL Greatest Games Series," showcasing select teams' Super Bowl runs or simply great games in the organizations' recent seasons. Earlier this month saw the release of five sets under this heading, including 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns Greatest Games (three contests in 1980, 1989 and 2002), and 1980 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys (the NFC Championship Game that put the Eagles in the Super Bowl). Yet as a diehard Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams fan for the past 30 years, 1999 St. Louis Rams obviously gets my vote as the MVP of this series. This collection features the three post-season games that followed the Rams' Cinderella year, when unknown quarterback Kurt Warner, star running back Marshall Faulk and elite wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt gave birth to what quickly became dubbed "The Greatest Show on Turf." This set includes their trouncing of the Minnesota Vikings, the nail-biter against the Bucs, and their classic Super Bowl outing against the Tennessee Titans, a 23-16 contest that came down to the very last play.
There are no extras on the DVDs.
Collection: **** (if you're a fan of the featured team); * (if you're not)
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (2007). Crafting a motion picture from a current television series that's been around for nearly two decades is a dicey proposition (as has been pointed out, why pay for something you can get for free at home?), but The Simpsons Movie filled the larger dimensions of the theater screen quite nicely and, logically enough, should look even better from the couch. Running the length of four combined episodes, this often hilarious flick takes Homer's weekly display of idiocy to a new level, as his bumbling disrespect for the environment leads to Springfield being blocked off from the rest of the world by a giant dome, with the town's destruction the ultimate goal of the overzealous head of the Environmental Protection Agency (voiced by Albert Brooks, billed in the credits as "A. Brooks"). Knowing that Homer is the culprit, the town's residents soon come a-calling with torches in hand and nooses hanging from nearby trees. But if there's one area in which Hollywood remains blissfully, even blessedly, optimistic, it's in the strength of the family unit, and as long as Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie stick together, they can lick any and all odds. Yet in this outing, even that tried and true formula is put to the test, as Homer's selfishness and cluelessness strains even the patience of Marge, perhaps the most devoted wife of a pigheaded TV character since Edith Bunker used to stand up for Archie back in the 1970s. Marge's romantic crisis manages to be touching, as does do-gooder Lisa's love for the progressive new kid on the block. But The Simpsons Movie is mainly about jokes – old jokes, new jokes, topical jokes, risqué jokes, sight gags, even a non sequitur or two.
DVD extras include two audio commentaries with creator Matt Groening, producer James L. Brooks and cast and crew members, five minutes of deleted scenes, and American Idol and Tonight Show gags.
Movie: ***1/2
SPICE WORLD (1998). Upon its original theatrical bow, Spice World (recently re-released on DVD to capitalize on The Spice Girls' reunion tour) desperately wanted to be seen as the modern successor to The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night – hey, at least nobody can claim that the Spicers didn't aim high. The plot is basically the same: We spend a couple of days with a wildly popular music group as its members contend with fans, music biz types and other colorful figures while preparing for a live show. Alas, that's about where the comparison ends, since this dud couldn't even capture the attention of the band's devotees. In Spice World, our heroines – Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), Melanie Brown (Scary Spice), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) and Victoria Adams (Posh Spice) – are very much aware that their shelf life may be limited, one of several self-informed jabs that Kim Fuller was wise enough to include in his script. But while Fuller's fine at providing media-savvy quips, his attempts at out-and-out gut-busters are painfully unfunny. The cameos (including Elvis Costello, House's Hugh Laurie and, best of all, Bob Hoskins) help, but director Bob Spiers simply allows too many dead spots to dominate the proceedings. Still (nonprofessional disclosure here), my wanton interest in lusty Geri back in the day made it a painless sit; as I stated to a colleague upon leaving the auditorium, "That was terrible. I can't wait to see it again."
DVD extras include a bonus musical performance of "Mama" and the theatrical trailer.
Movie: **