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Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Today’s DVDs/What Are You Watching episode
The DVD roster today brings us two movies that are both solid, but could have been even better.
Race to Witch Mountain: Disney’s “reboot” of its franchise about telekinetic alien kids is decent family fare, with good performances and amusing nods and winks to the original films. Look for the inevitable cameos by the original kids. However, by focusing so heavily on Duane Johnson’s character, the movie shifts the focus away from the kids - and that’s a mistake, especially when one is the gifted actress AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia). Full review: GRADE: B
The Soloist: This was once promoted as a major candidate for the Oscars last year, and that’s a little hard to believe given the surprisingly juvenile humor and director Joe Wright’s overly flashy visuals, which kept pulling me out of the story. Even so, good performances by Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx as a journalist and a schizophrenic musical prodigy, make the movie worth a look. Full review. GRADE: B
What are You Watching
Funny People: It looks like Judd Apatow’s latest movie is going to go down as a disappointment in one way or another, and I find that unfortunate. This ambitious move that dares to mix comedy with issues of mortality (Adam Sandler’s character has a grave blood disease) doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s quite affecting. At two and a half hours, it’s too long, and the first half meanders, but the movie finds its heart in the second half. Adam Sandler gives his career-best performance, and Leslie Mann is outstanding as the only girl he ever loved. Kudos also to Apatow for having the good taste to fill the soundtrack with solo songs by all four Beatles. GRADE: B+
The Hurt Locker: Kathryn Bigelow has always been underrated as an action director; in her best film to date, she more than proves her mettle with action scenes that put me in the thick of the tension of bomb squads in Iraq. The film gave me a “you are there” feel that was so palpable, I couldn’t help but be a shade disappointed with a distracting homefront sequence near the end. Still, the film left me riveted, not least because my brother is serving in Iraq. GRADE: A-
Your serve: Tell me what you’ve been watching, at home or in theaters.
