Star Trek (Blu-ray) CityNews.ca Pick of the Week - J.J. Abrams has taken the
Star Trek franchise back to the beginning. His
Trek
begins before James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) was Captain of the U.S.S.
Enterprise. We learn how Kirk met Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe
Saldana) and Bones (Karl Urban) while in Starfleet. We see a young Sulu
(John Cho) and Chekhov (Anton Yelchin) awkwardly controlling the brand
new Enterprise. It's campy yet totally awesome. The film looks and
sounds amazing in high-def and is another title I'd recommend upgrading
to Blu-ray for. Special features on the Blu-ray release include over 30
featurettes in HD, deleted scenes, commentary, a 360 view of the U.S.S.
Enterprise, an XBOX 360 trial of the game Star Trek D-A-C, a digital copy of the film and more. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
Read our original His Take/Her Take review of Star Trek
Brüno (Blu-ray)
- Although it was more enjoyable on DVD than in the theatre Brüno still
feels forced and doesn't compare to the laughs Borat produced, though
Sacha Baron Cohen is admittedly funny and doesn't seem to hold back
from shocking the audience every chance he can. Special features on the
Blu-ray release include video commentary with Cohen and director Larry
Charles, deleted and extended scenes, an interview with Hollywood agent
Lloyd Robinson, and a digital copy of the movie. Film ** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Read our original His Take/Her Take review of Brüno
My Sister's Keeper (Blu-ray) - Directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on the Jodi Picolut book, My Sister's Keeper is
a very depressing story about a young girl with leukemia (Sofia
Vassilieva) who needs her sister's bone marrow to survive. Her sister,
played by Abigail Breslin, agrees to be a donor and then changes her
mind and goes as far as getting a lawyer (Alec Baldwin) to fight her
parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric) over the decision. Diaz gives
her best performance yet as the mother to the two girls, but be warned
you will need a box of Kleenex handy while watching. Special features
on the Blu-ray release include extra scenes, a featurette on Picoult
and the process of turning the book into a film, and a digital copy of the movie. Film *** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Check out an interview CityNews.ca did with Abigail Breslin about her role in My Sister's Keeper
Thirst - A priest is accidentally turned into a vampire after a
failed medical experiment in this stylish, awesome, twisted thriller
from Chan-wook Park. If you liked Park's Oldboy or Lady Vengeance then you will love Thirst. Korean with English subtitles. No special features on the DVD. Film *** DVD * (out of 5 stars).
Franklyn
- Split between present day London and the futuristic Meanwhile City,
Franklyn is a bizarre sci-fi drama that feels like Watchmen meets Dark
City. Great performances from Eva Green and Ryan Phillippe and the
cinematography and set design are wonderful. With a more coherent
script the film could have been much better than the mediocre end
product we're left with. Special features include interviews, deleted
scenes and a making of. Also available on Blu-ray. Film ** DVD ** (out of 5 stars).
The Limits of Control
- Long, boring, pretentious film about a man (Isaach De Bankolé) going
from place to place in Spain collecting pieces of a puzzle that could
or could not be for something illegal. Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Broken
Flowers, Coffee & Cigarettes) and featuring small parts from Bill
Murray, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, and Gael García Bernal, I expected a
lot more out of it and instead felt like an outsider to an inside joke
the entire time. Special features include footage from the locations used in the film and a featurette on Jarmusch's directing style. Film ** DVD ** (out of 5 stars).
My One And Only
- With a cast that includes Renee Zellweger, Chris Noth, Kevin Bacon,
Nick Stahl, and Eric McCormack, it's a surprise this got by with no
buzz. Based on the life of actor George Hamilton (Logan Lerman) as his
mother Anne Deveraux (Zellweger) uproots him and his brother to leave
her cheating husband (Bacon) and find a new life for them. Set in the
'50s, My One And Only is a decent film that is sweet and funny. Special
features include a behind the scenes and making-of featurette. Film *** DVD ** (out of 5 stars).
How To Be - With all the Twilight craze going on this month with the theatre release of New Moon, it's no surprise How To Be is getting pushed out on DVD. Did I mention it stars the one and only Robert Pattinson? It
is a different role for him as he plays a depressed musician named Art
who is looking for answers by way of a self-help book. It's more artsy
than mainstream but Pattinson/Twilight fans should give it a
shot as it may surprise. Special features include commentary, a making
of, interview with Pattinson, as well as his audition footage. Film ** DVD *** (out of 5 stars).
My Effortless Brilliance - Sean Nelson of the band Harvey Danger
stars as a self-centered semi-famous novelist in this film about male
friendship. Heavy on dialogue and close-ups and not much else, I was
surprised at how well My Effortless Brilliance held my
attention. The film mainly takes places in the woods with Eric (Nelson)
trying to reconnect with his best friend Dylan (Basil Harris) who
called him out on being a bad person at the beginning of the movie.
Definitely not for everyone but if you're looking for a quirky film,
this is worth checking out. Special features include behind-the-scenes
footage, deleted scenes and commentary. Film *** DVD ** (out of 5
stars).
Dane Cook: Isolated Incident
- Are you fan of Dane Cook's stand-up? If yes, you will enjoy this
55-minute performance of his at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood that was
recorded during his Isolated Incident Tour. If you're not a fan
then there's really no point in watching this as his humour will be
lost on you. Special features include a never-before-seen interview
with Cook and the featurette 30 Premeditated Acts which has Cook explaining how some of his routines came to be. DVD *** (out of 5 stars).
More new DVD releases this week:
Rome: The Complete Series (Blu-ray); Is There Anybody There; Gone With
The Wind (Blu-ray); Margaret Cho: Beautiful, Wild Child; Leon: The
Professional (Blu-ray)
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com