THE GOOD GERMAN (2006)

TITLE
The Good German

STARRING
George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
What can you do with a weak script and a poor plot - make the movie look incredible and use the best talent available to you who are will to work for less than they typically command per picture. So here's the skinny on The Good German, look for superb cinematography in black and white, a real throwback, as for everything else it's a bore. Steven Soderbergh is about experimentation and to his credit he always manages to line-up one of his favorite co-conspirators George Clooney or Julia Roberts, this time it is the earlier and boy does he look good with or without technicolor. Another credit to this film is Cate Blanchett's German accent while speaking English. Her German though leaves much to be desired. The plot is predictable and unfortunately cannot hold your attention once you get over how beautiful the scene is, likewise the movie tries to hard in some places and not at all in others (where's the the continuity). Then again, if this is an experiment - it's a beautiful one.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
No, I wouldn't rent it again, but if I did it would be for the following reason: Cate Blanchett's performance in this movie was far more deserving of the academy award than her abysmal portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
I can't imagine many who would dig this movie.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Seemed a bit shy on these by comparison to other Soderbergh features.

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ALPHA DOG (2006)

TITLE
Alpha Dog

STARRING
Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Bruce Willis, Shawn Hatosy, Anton Yelchin, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Sharon Stone

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
More interesting than I'm willing to give it credit for, but still sad for everyone involved. Based on the true story of minor league drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood, who until 2005, remained one of the youngest 'FBI Most Wanted List' honorees. I read several articles prior to seeing this movie, in which Hollywood stated he believes he is already deserving of a mistrial because too many people, including jurors, will see this movie and be unable to give him a fair shake. This permitted me to draw the assumption that Alpha Dog would unfairly place blame on its lead character Truelove (Hirsch) for what is said to befall the younger brother (Yelchin) of one of his subsidiaries (Foster) when Truelove and his cohorts kidnap him. After seeing the movie though I wonder how this entire series of events, to which there are more than 30 witnesses, even occurred. I believe the jump this movie begs you to make is that a person, running away from his problems ran right into his own demise when captured by men whose depravity he could not begin to understand. Near as I can tell, there were many people at fault for the death of this young man and the movie was less the story about an "alpha dog" type character and more a lesson on the dangers of the "pack mentality."

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
What I liked about the movie: good performances by Ben Foster, Justin Timberlake and especially Anton Yelchin - he actually made such stupidity seem believable; Bruce Willis in a supporting role which was of little consequence; seeking Alan Thicke again; the So-Cal cultural references and play on the late-nineties culture, though there were several goofs in terms of vehicles some characters drove. What I could have done without: Emile Hirsch - is it only me who struggles with why they paid an actor to do what this kid did for this film? A ventriloquist and his dummy could have done the same -if not better job. I think the project was well put together and had some solid scenes with reasonable dialogue.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Total guy movie and a parent's nightmare. These kinds of stories make me more and more certain having kids is not an option and there are no real safeguards out there anymore.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Yes.

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THE BREED (2006)

TITLE
The Breed

STARRING
Michelle Rodriguez, Oliver Hudson, Eric Lively, Taryn Manning, Hill Harper, Nick Boraine, Lisa-Marie Schneider, many dogs

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
It's entertaining, not terribly flawed (plot/action), but very average in terms of horror movie dialogue. There's really no reason this flick went straight to video. Oliver Hudson, Michelle Rodriguez and Taryn Manning are all easily recognizable faces to American moviegoers. Basically, The Breed is about various dogs, mainly German Shepards, Belgian Malinois and the occasional Rottweiler who were all trained covertly by the U.S. Army to kill and attack, of course there was some genetic tampering and the project went awry. Now, the dogs run the island and kill all who penetrate their territory. Due to the death of a beloved uncle (yeah who had a little something to do with breeding experiments) two brothers (Lively and Hudson) have now inherited a remote cabin only accessible by boat and sea plane. Thus, they decide to make a carefree weekend jaunt to the island and find themselves using all of their hidden talents to evade the dogs.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
In a word, loose is how I would describe the film. There's believable characters and action, but a lot of potential storylines and events are left hanging or are killed off by a bad line or two. My favorite example of this when the brothers discover their uncle had copies of the military's test results from the experiments and ties to the project, to which one brother remarks their uncle was an animal activist. Even the tagline for this film "play dead" holds no meaning, because the dogs are so assertively ravenous they tear you limb from limb regardless of whether your living, dead, or somewhere in between. This is a movie I would watch again, but could really recommend if they would have tightened things up a little - an almost no-cost alternative to the direct to DVD dead end.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Horror fans, young couples looking to cozy up and be scared, etc. Not for those already terrified of dogs.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Nada.


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THE PAINTED VEIL (2006)

TITLE
The Painted Veil

STARRING
Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Toby Jones, Liev Schreiber, Diana Rigg, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
Most underrated film of 2006, hands down. Beautifully crafted with significant attention to story (adapted from a novel by the same name) and detail, these are some of the best performances in recent years for Watts and Norton whose mismatched coupledom in the attempts to survive cholera and their own selfish betrayals against each other. As the story progresses and their characters develop, their hearts begin to change and somehow manage to find each other. Though in real-life it is Schreiber and Watts who are the couple with child, their is some sincere on-screen chemistry between Norton and Watts, at times the disdain is also abundantly well-played out. My husband remarked something to the effect that I'd been watching the movie for quite awhile, but it seemed to fly by which is rare for these heavily dramatic pieces; just very engaging and thoughtful all-around.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
I'm always pleasantly surprised when a movie like this comes along. One with relatively little heralding prior to its DVD release, but by no means a second rate film in any sense. Maybe it is the open heart and mind you go into when you have no real expectations, but I prefer to believe in cases such as these, that the film was just released at the wrong time and is a generally well-written, cast, and directed film. My expectations for Norton are always high and he's never failed to disappoint (with the exception of the Italian Job, which reportedly he was under contract by the studio to complete). There's something attractive, a quality I suppose, about Naomi Watts, but I've never seen it surface quite as prominently in the past as it did with this film. I'm hoping the Painted Veil finds the success and acclaim that the Shawshank Redemption did - primarily through its video release.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Yes. There are many elements to this movie and fair amount of depth.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Not a good DVD for trailers or storyboards.......they are in short supply.

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BREAKING AND ENTERING (2006)

TITLE
Breaking and Entering

STARRING
Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn, Martin Freeman, Vera Farmiga, Rafi Gavron, Ray Winstone

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
Right, well that was utterly boring. My only tell-it-like-it-is comment is this: Anthony Minghella, writer and director of Breaking and Entering, needs to branch out and seriously consider other male leads (other movies he's famous for include The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain, as well as several yet-to-be produced, but certain-to-star Jude Law films.) Now while some may argue this is the casting agent/director, let's be honest, you know directors have their favorite actors and actors have their favorite directors. There is a story and it could have been intriguing, but in the end it appeared frantic and miscast. Robin Wright Penn, who plays the dutiful mother longing for a return to her deep connection with her husband (Law), does well with these kinds of characters. Obviously this attempt flops here because she receives no help from Law and a viewer just couldn't care less about their failing marriage or familial unrest. There's also the editing, by most standards it leaves a lot to be desired as the film has no cohesive elements and doesn't follow the "1st Character Rule."

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
I wouldn't. It wasn't exceptionally well-done or purposeful.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Jude fans will like it. Whose still with Jude these days?

SPECIAL FEATURES
So many trailers on this DVD - wished I would have watched one of those movies.

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THE FOUNTAIN (2006)

TITLE
The Fountain

STARRING
Rachel Weisz, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Patrick Thomas, Ethan Suplee, Donna Murphy, Mark Margolis, Stephen McHattie

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
When someone advises you not to watch this movie because you're going to be disappointed, even if you don't know them, you should take their advice. That sage piece of advice is indeed what a loyal reader of this blog told my husband to tell me - but you know me. It was already in the Blockbuster queue, I wanted to see it in theaters, I like these type of movies, how bad could it be, Rachel and Hugh are in it.......all of those excuses amounted to little if any consolation. I will say this, for the movie, it is beautifully, visually stimulating and a rare use of colors for a movie of its budget which was sliced approximately in half after the first greenlighted version of this project set to start Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett fell through. Also, this movie being inexplicably difficult to watch and amidst its least boring moments is not the fault of the talent - not even remotely. The only times I felt concern for the characters was when they were turning in, despite lackluster writing, a solid emotional performance.

Darren Aronofsky (Weisz's husband), owns all the turmoil surrounding this project. The story, writing, editing, directing, etc., it's all on you bud. From beginning to end, it required nearly a decade to get this project to this final product, which was released late last year in the US. Honestly, I believe many of this film's difficulties surround the story. At best the story is confusing, at worst, it is worthless. In my infinite wisdom as a novice writer, I like to go easy on the pros whenever possible but, Aronofsky should have known better; audiences like to think minimally while engaged in the viewing process because they are absorbed in the process of introduction to the characters and familarization with the story. The story may be clear as day to the writer, because they've been living with these characters for years, audiences however have approximately two hours to connect with the story and its characters, then they are out the theater door. I'm guessing this is where most writers and directors hope audiences begin to reflect on what they just saw. However, if the audience by in large is apathetic or confused, reflection doesn't have a hope of occurring, and if people aren't talking about that movie, they don't encourage others to go see it, or rent it, or buy it. Moviegoers like the things spelled-out, even if a film doesn't get there right away, they will take the leap of faith with the director and give the movie another 30 minutes to come around, but rewarding viewers in the end is largely unacceptable, especially if it is an ending with minimal resolve.

So what is this movie about.....the quest of Tommy (Jackman) to save his dying wife, Izzi (Weisz) from the brain tumor that threatens her existence and the life they built together. Likewise, in both the past and future, they have appearances as connected characters seeking to evade death through finding a source of eternal life.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
I wouldn't. We already had a movie that connected sci-fi, with spirituality, vivid imagery, and dramatic elements, it was called What Dreams May Come and it was a brilliant film. The Fountain had to go where others had not and do it in a cohesive way. I'm a fairly sophisticated film fan and it took me awhile to connect the three storylines, which all seemed somewhat meaningless given the ending.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
No.

SPECIAL FEATURES
There's nothing special about the movie, why would we assume the features be any different.

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FUR (2006)

TITLE
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

STARRING
Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey, Jr., Ty Burrell, Emmy Clarke

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
This might be the most peculiar movie of 2006. As I popped the DVD into the player and settled in, it occurred to me I might not know of, nor have experience with the concept of an imaginary portrait, unless of course you mean something nearly or completely fictitious. Perhaps it was more like a movie based on an unauthorized biography, or my favorite "based on actual events" that have nothing to do with each other. But really this is just more of a liberally creative terminology which refers specifically to this being a vision of what might have influenced Diane ( pronounced Dion ) Arbus, and awkward character played superbly by Nicole Kidman. She appears a little weird so we imagine a character apart from our reality isn't a huge stretch, but she manages to make this dangerously odd story almost tempting and always engaging. She is matched in talent and persuasive acting talents by Robert Downey, Jr. whose character Lionel Sweeney is afflicted by Hypertrichosis causing a prolific coverage of his entire body by hair and a marginalized existence in modern society. It is suggested that her deep relationship with Sweeney acted as a catalyst to her photographic pursuits, which rank her among the world's greatest twentieth century artists.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
I'm not even sure what I watched. There were parts of the film where my eyes never left the TV and others that seemed gratuitous, if needed at all. I can't say I would make effort to watch it again, but I thought it interesting, maybe the most interesting thing I saw all year.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Oh, probably not. You don't really "like" a movie of this kind. Most people will click this off after like 10 minutes, which should suggest you're not giving it a chance, but I did the same thing with that absurd Dogville movie.

SPECIAL FEATURES
You know, I didn't check, but it must have some, it just must.

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CATCH AND RELEASE (2006)

TITLE
Catch and Release

STARRING
Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Sam Jaeger, Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis, Fiona Shaw

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
I was expecting something different than what the box leads you to believe, and really without giving away the storyline entirely, you cannot know what I mean unless you saw this movie. So here's what I thought it would be; bubble-headed woman (Garner) loses very proper fianceé in accident and falls for his callus, ill-mannered best friend (Olyphant). That is very much not this movie, which is where the cast of other characters roll on in to delight and add layers of complexity. The writing is excellent, thank you Susannah Grant! they also choose a song entitled "Morning Eleven" by The Magic Numbers for one of the first few scenes, which though appropriate, was not the best Magic Numbers song. I might suggest when Olyphant and Garner are first connecting, that they should have considered "Hymn for Her," leaving an opening for the audience to think about whether the couple was finding love, or instead its likeness in the wrong place - each other. Though the song is more dark than this, they only play snippets.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
It's a wonderful little movie, surprisingly well-done and engaging. I'm sure the [misleading]trailers were produced to draw in a wider audience; I bet a lot of folks left thinking this was not the movie they signed-up for, but maybe a little glad it wasn't. I shall probably rent it again as I saw it, but my husband did not - he is the uber-Kevin Smith fan.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Yeah, I think they will.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Nothing that really sent me, but I suggest a perusal for yourself.

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DREAMGIRLS (2006)

TITLE
Dreamgirls

STARRING
Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Sharon Leal

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
This movie is anything but dreamy. With few notable exceptions which will be highlighted I thought this movie a completely hyped-out average film. A lot of the story was very tired, especially for Motown audiences who have heard varying accounts of the life of the 50's, and 60's supergroups and acts that this movie parallels. Notable performances begin with Eddie Murphy (James "Thunder" Early) and end with Keith Robinson (brother of Effie White played by Jennifer Hudson). After all the pomp and circumstance surrounding Dreamgirls, I expected a movie first and a musical second, similar to that of Ray or Walk the Line. Perhaps the biggest disappointments were Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé; I wanted a lot more out of these two singers who were trying to act. The actors who tried to sing did better by far, (read Murphy, who's 80's hit "Party All the Time" can hardly prove his prowess in the music world.) The difficult decision to cut parts of this movie an leave them on the cutting room floor seems like it was never made, especially with the Hudson character. They left a lot of her in there, yet at the end, you weren't sure whose story was being told - a real disappointment on the part of the editing department.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
Oh no thanks, you're kidding right? I'm certain there are a host of folks, not the least of whom is Bill Condon, who wrote and directed Dreamgirls, that would be thankful mine is just the opinion of one person. I wonder if the Dreamgirls book by Tom Eyen is better, but unlike Little Children, which I put on order after seeing the movie by the same name, will I ever be likely to flip through its pages.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Of course, this was made for the masses.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Again, you have to be kidding, this movie was too long to consider anything remotely "special" might have been left out.

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LITTLE CHILDREN (2006)

TITLE
Little Children

STARRING
Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, Phyllis Somerville, Sadie Goldstein, Ty Simpkins

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
The lives of middle-American suburbanites come to a head when awkward truths and revealing desires are confronted, specifically those of Sarah Pierce (Winslet) and Brad Adamson (Wilson). In an expressively sincere and less comedic way than American Beauty, Little Children shows how the decisions of individuals affects their family and friends. There's some powerful scenes and Winslet is at her best. She is surrounded by other strong performances, including that of her daughter (Goldstein) who is both precious and infuriating. The storytelling is remarkably simple and I believe that the use of narration throughout the film replaces need for innuendos or soundtracks quite successfully. The strength of this film might also lie in what I suspect is an expertly crafted novel of the same title by Tom Perotta.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
I really enjoyed this movie. I believe the writing and directing by Todd Field was superb and the subject matter engrossing. Little Children comes off as a much more captivating and well-packaged film than his earlier effort, In The Bedroom. This doesn't feel like a Hollywood movie; there's really little of the stereotypical versions of normalcy or traditional ineptitude to take on hard matter, even if it will limit your audience. I'm struck by the ending, which brought meaning to the title in only the last five minutes.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Some difficult subject matter, advise screening alone.

SPECIAL FEATURES
The standard fare.

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CAFFEINE (2006)

TITLE
Caffeine

STARRING
Breckin Meyer, Mena Suvari, Katherine Heigl, Marsha Thomason, Mark Pellegrino, Sonya Walger

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
This is a really small independent project so I will give you the gist. A dysfunctional group of coffee shop employees who are more like family than co-workers attempt to manage their daily dramas and serve coffee to an assortment quirky characters. This is no Love Actually, there is some smart British humor, however most of what transpires is forgettable. If you are fan of any of the above actors, I would not suggest renting this movie just to see them. Few characters get much screen time to wow you.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
I probably wouldn't; it's not bad, but it's not a movie to watch over and over again. Thomason is a highlight, Meyer is not believable as cast when it comes down to the final five minutes - perhaps that's why he was cast.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
It's a comedy meant to entertain; as long as they can appreciate a cast of Americans and Brits, who all sport British accents, then your significant other is good to go.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Oh no, not many.

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NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (2006)

TITLE
Night at the Museum

STARRING
Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Jake Cherry, Paul Rudd

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
It's like most of the live action family movies that populate the landscape of American Cinema, which typically revolve around something unsettling in the family, a divorce, a loss, etc. In this case Larry Daley (Stiller) is trying to improve upon both his reliability as a parent and his image as a role model to his young son (Cherry) amidst an increasing sense of failure career-wise and the competition that arises between Daley and his son's new stepfather (Rudd). There are always moment in these movies, even when the talent is hardcore comedic like that of Stiller and Williams that make me shrug off the laughter because inevitable upcoming scene lacks common sense or good writing. I guess that's the part which appeals most to the younger crowd because of its slapstick elements and general themes.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
Stiller is great, as are Van Dyke, Rooney and Cobbs, the trio of retired guards with a few tricks left up their sleeves. A movie like this cannot be done with computer animation, and is is used well and cleverly. The movie doesn't stray away from the theme of redemption as Daley pursues his nightwatchmen duties at the museum.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
A movie for everyone.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Yeah, most are kiddie approved, some cool CGI stuff.

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THE HITCHER (2007)

TITLE
The Hitcher

STARRING
Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, Zachary Knighton, Neal McDonough,

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
Ok, with Mission Impossible-like theatrics and precision John "The Hitcher" Ryder (Sean Bean) takes out travelers, cops, cops in cars, cops in helicopters, all the while managing to wreck havoc on a young couple (Bush and Knighton). I really expected a run-of-the-mill flick with not much to contribute upon its predecessors in the genre. If not for ripping one of the young lovers in half and the occasional slash across the throat, this would be considered more of an action film. We all know not to pick up hitchhikers, but in the event you do, he/she tries to kill you and with everything on the line you manage to throw him from the car while keeping within the lines with minimal help from your travelling companion, the lesson really is turn around and go home. Don't continue on to Lake Havasu, or the mall or wherever you're going, stop, turn around and head for home. It's also disastrous to let the hitchhiker know where you keep your cell phone or to ask probing questions, because he/she's certainly got no past, nothing to live for and some expert military training.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
When all is said and done, this is not the worst I've seen, not by a long shot, and no one does bad, mean or deceptive like Sean Bean. We love him, even if he's been typecast. If you've watched Rest Stop, this is much better. A very empowering ending, I was wondering when that was going to happen.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Oh yeah, and if they are easily frightened, there's plenty of cuddle/consolation time ahead.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Quite a few actually, I only found interest in the deleted scenes.

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10 ITEMS OR LESS (2006)

TITLE
10 Items or Less

STARRING
Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega, Anne Dudek, Jonah Hill

WHAT THE BOX DOESN'T TELL YOU
This movie is real lesson in contrast. The lives of a charismatic actor on the fringe of dropping off the map (Freeman) and a grocery check-out clerk longing for more (Vega) intersect when they meet at the grocery store and befriend each other out of desperation and ability to share their own blend of talents. We could only hope that a meeting between two such people would be so charming. Writer/director/producer Brad Silberling (Moonlight Mile) has a witty earnest story to tell and some very talented actors up for the task. Never sure whether Paz Vega is an actress on the cusp of finding a notable role, or some genuinely attractive eye-candy, she proves she has a lot to offer in this part. Freeman, who is always the class-act, assumes a very introspective position, that begs the question whether or not the Hollywood elite are familiar with the array of opportunities that behold the rest of us when we enter Target.

WHY I WOULD RENT IT AGAIN
It's beautiful because of its simplicity. Nothing is perfect about their lives, but the relationship is without flaws. I was charmed by the writing and the actors presence, and touched by the sentiments.

WILL MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND LIKE IT?
Maybe, no guarantees.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Not many.

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