Mary and Max CityNews.ca Pick of the Week - My second
favourite animated film of last year (after Fantastic Mr. Fox). Mary
and Max tells the story of Mary, an 8-year-old girl in Australia
who randomly sends a letter to Max, a 44-year-old overweight man in New
York City. The two begin a friendship via letters that spans the next
twenty years. Featuring the voices of Toni Collette and Philip Seymour
Hoffman, and using the same claymation style as director Adam Elliot's
2003 Oscar-winning short Harvie Krumpet, Mary and Max is a
wonderful, heartfelt tale that is also extremely funny. Sadly there are
no special features on the DVD. Film **** DVD * (out of 5 stars).
This
Is It (Blu-ray) - There are two types of people in this world --
those who loved Michael Jackson and everything he was about, and those
who couldn't stand him. If you are of the first kind than this concert
film is for you and you will watch it a million times and will probably
want the Blu-ray version for the amazing sound. If you are of the latter
you should avoid this like the plague as it will do nothing but annoy
you. I dig a few of his songs and was interested in seeing This Is It
but will probably never pick it up ever again. Special features on the
Blu-ray release include two making-of documentaries, the featurette Making
Smooth Criminal, vignettes on Thriller and Smooth
Criminal, plus more. Film *** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
Little
Ashes - Very boring film about an 18-year-old Salvador Dali (Robert
Pattinson) as he begins university in Madrid in 192 and forms a
friendship with poet Federico García Lorca (Javier Beltrán) and
filmmaker Luis Buñuel (Matthew McNulty). Twilight fans might be
turned off by Pattinson's role and Dali fans will be horrified by his
portrayal. Special features include interviews with the director and
cast. Film ** DVD * (out of 5 stars).
Billy Jack (Blu-ray)
- One of the greatest cult films of all time gets a surprising release
on Blu-ray in a beautifully remastered edition. Billy Jack (Tom
Laughlin) is a half-white/half-Indian hapkido master who protects wild
horses and a native "freedom" school from the locals, who are all racist
rednecks. Billy Jack tries to hold back from using violence but
explodes and unleashes a Charles Bronson-esque butt-kicking on his
deserving victims when they push him too far. With quotes like, "I'm
gonna take this right foot, and I'm gonna whop you on that side of your
face," it's hard not to cheer on Billy Jack as he goes berserk. If
you've never seen Billy Jack it will be a pleasant surprise, and
if you're one of the longstanding fans the high-def image and sound will
blow you away. Special features include original television
commercials, commentary with Laughlin (who also co-wrote and directed
the film) and Delores Taylor (who co-wrote and stars in the film), and a
very interesting mini-documentary on the importance of the film. Film
**** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Surrogates (Blu-ray) -
The concept behind Surrogates
(which is based on a graphic novel) is that humans would rather
control
a robot clone (or surrogate) with their minds than leave their house
and interact with society. The result: one of the worst films of 2009.
The script is laughable and along
with a horrendous plot there is a lot of bad dialogue. Bruce Willis, who
stars as FBI agent Tom
Greer, was the only redeeming
part of the film and I'm embarrassed for him being in this mess. As for
the rest of the cast, Ving Rhames and James Cromwell were wasted and
Radha Mitchell was flat, boring and terrible (like the entire film).
With so many quality films in this genre (Strange Days, Minority
Report,
Gattaca), unless you really have a love for awful
techno-thrillers
(or a clone that can go to the theatre for you) skip Surrogates
and
save some brain cells. Special features include deleted scenes, a
featurette on adapting the graphic novel, commentary with director
Jonathan Mostow, and more. Film * Blu-ray ** (out of 5 stars).
Whip
It (Blu-ray) - Bliss
(Ellen Page) is a smart, funky small-town 17-year-old girl who is forced
to participate in beauty
pageants by her mother (Marcia Gay Harden). On an afternoon trip to
nearby Austin, Texas, she spots an ad for an all-girl roller derby
competition. She goes to the event with her friend Pash (Arrested
Development's Alia Shawkat) and gets the idea to try out
for the team (even though she is underage). Of course she makes the cut
and
joins Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore, who also directs), Rosa Sparks
(Eve), Maggie Mayhem
(Kristen Wiig) and Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell) as part of the the Hurl
Scouts. The roller derby scenes are exciting and shot well, and really
get the roller derby vibe
across to the audience. Unfortunately the rest of the movie is so dumbed
down in order to make it "girly" that it's an insult to the viewer.
Special features include deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and a
digital copy of the film. Film ** Blu-ray ** (out of 5 stars).
Soul
Power (Blu-ray) - Soul Power uses the leftover footage from
the documentary When We Were Kings, which focused on the fight
between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman during their 1974 "Rumble in the
Jungle" match, and presents a look at the music from the 3-day festival
that was happening around it. If you're into the sounds of James Brown,
B.B. King, Bill Withers, and Celia Cruz this is a must-see. The Blu-ray
is visually and audibly perfect considering the age of the footage.
Special features include audio commentary with director Jeffrey
Levy-Hinte and festival producer Stewart Levine, and deleted scenes.
Film *** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
More New DVD releases
this week: The Bourne Ultimatum (Blu-ray), Atonement (Blu-ray),
Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, Saw
VI, The Last Starfighter (Blu-ray), InAlienable, Fame: The Original
Movie (Blu-ray)
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
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image: A scene from Mary and Max. Courtesy Mongrel Media.