Each week DVDs come out. Some of them are worth your time and money and some aren’t. Some of them are movies I’ve seen, and some of them aren’t. Regardless, I give you my opinion on the big releases of the week. Take it or leave it, here’s the DVD Blend.
Bad Education - Now that The Motorcycle Diaries has been noticed, it’s time to flood the market with Gael Garcia Bernal’s other films. This one features Bernal proving his abilities as a drag queen, which he apparently does quite well. That has to be a heck of a change of pace. One minute you’re portraying a Latin American revolutionary in his early years, riding around on a motorcycle and brooding in a buddy film. The next you’re in a dress looking like a convincing woman. Didn’t Patrick Swayze do the same thing in his career? Bernal should be careful he doesn’t end up walking the same path as Swayze or twenty years from now someone will make an American remake of Bad Education with Bernal making a brief appearance as a washed up dance instructor... er, actor.
Hotel Rwanda - Don Cheadle has always impressed me with his acting range, but never as much as in Hotel Rwanda. The film tells the Schindler-esque tale of a simple man who finds himself in the position of saving innocent people as Africa is ravaged by a governmental uprising. Another film that shows just how much the truth hurts, I was very surprised Rwanda wasn’t nominated for more Oscars. The DVD release focuses on the reality upon which the movie is based, with documentaries about both the movie and the historical events. Rwanda is definitely a hard film to take, and if you’re the type who can’t handle Schindler’s List or Saving Private Ryan I’d suggest avoiding this film, which borders on being considered one of my Important Films.
Ocean’s Twelve - I loved the remake of Ocean’s Eleven despite it starring “Chicken Head” Clooney. It was a fun romp type heist flick, and made the most of its cast. Even though Clooney and Brad Pitt took the lead, there were lots of nice moments for the rest of the cast. Needless to say, I was excited about a sequel, but Ocean’s Twelve proves lightning seldom strikes twice. The style of the film is different to reflect the european setting of the movie, which is really clever for the five people out there who will get it. However despite the amount of fun the cast had making the film, very little of that fun appears on screen. The film stretches to make moments work, and resorts to two of the biggest film “cheats” in history. I suppose they deserve some credit for not just pushing out a formulated sequel, but I would have preferred that to this boring, lackluster film.
Suspect Zero - I don’t know much about Suspect Zero, a movie that somehow flew under my radar, but what I’ve read seems intriguing, and the film seems to have a following on the Cinema Blend forums. Aaron Eckhart, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Ben Kingsley star in this tale of a killer who is going around murdering... other killers. I’m always a fan of a mystery if done right, and the cast seems to be made up of good picks. On the other hand, Ben Kingsley hasn’t exactly been picky about his roles lately, starring in Thunderbirds and the upcoming still-lacking-a-distributor Uwe Boll film Bloodrayne. That’s not to say everything Kingsley has done lately has been bad. In fact, if you look you might notice every other film he does is a dud. By that account, Suspect Zero should be one of the good ones.
TV on DVD - I’m just grouping these all together this week, since I’m not sure I really have a paragraph worth of stuff to say about each of these ‘80’s series, which are seeing the release of their second seasons on DVD. That’s right - the second seasons of “The A-Team”, “Knight Rider”, and “Magnum P.I.” flood the market for fans of classic ‘80s action television. It’s odd that Universal would choose to release all three of these in the same week, since they really do target the same audience. Maybe they’re counting on those same people to be getting their tax returns soon, and hope they’re willing to blow that refund check on B.A. Baracus, KITT, and... well, whatever Magnum had going for him - I never watched the show. If you preferred your action with more comedy, the second season of “Sledge Hammer” also comes out this week.
On the cartoon side, William’s Street Productions and Cartoon Network get their turn, releasing the third volume of “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast” and the first season of “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law”. I usually take issue with Cartoon Network’s releases unfortunately, and these are no different. While I love both of these shows, the price isn’t worth what you’re getting. Both series have average prices for a television set, but the episodes are only 15 minutes long tops. That means you aren’t getting nearly enough bang for your buck, paying typical prices for less than half the entertainment. It doesn’t matter how good the shows are (and these are damn brilliant), if the set is priced too high, I’m not buying it. On the flip side comes “Invader Zim” which puts out a House Box Set this week, including the first three volumes of the show plus a bonus disc and a Gir figurine, all in a box shaped like Zim’s house. Already own the first three volumes of the show? Media Blasters is also releasing just the box with just the bonus material at a reduced cost. Something that cool deserves notice - instead of trying to rip off people who have already bought their DVDs, a company is providing an alternative option for them. Kudos!
