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.
Birth - The movie every critic at Cinema Blend is avoiding. I’ve never seen a movie so rejected by our staff as this one, and the critic covering it was literally the last one to check in (proving sometimes that it’s beneficial to check e-mail in a timely manner). I can’t blame them for avoiding this one though, as I too have no desire to see Nicole Kidman fall in love with an eight year old. The theme of one’s lover coming back in another form has been done before, and better in comedies like Made in Heaven (which has yet to see a DVD release incidently) or Chances Are. In fact, maybe Birth could have been improved by making it more of a comedy instead of a dramatic tale that feels like watching pedophilia condoned and justified.
Meet the Fockers - This sequel to Meet the Parents caught me by surprise. I expected it to do about as well as the other needless and past its prime sequels that came out last year. That is to say, I expected it to barely break into the top ten it’s first week at the box office and then quickly disappear. Instead it stuck around with some decent staying power - most likely attributed to the genius casting of Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Ben Stiller’s parents. Still, neither film really interested me very much, especially since DeNiro’s forays into comedy have mostly been... well, less than admirable. As such, I’ll continue to stay away from this franchise, but it is one of the few discs worth mentioning this week (which says just how dull releases are right now).
House of Flying Daggers - I’m beginning to hate Japanese import films nowdays. If I’m fortunate enough to have films like this one come to theaters near me, inevitably it’s at some point that my schedule won’t allow me to get to it for a week, and then it’s gone. Studios don’t show these imports enough attention, giving them extremely limited theatrical runs and often second rate DVD releases. I think they feel by releasing the film for a short run, the devout fans will run out and see it quickly. What they’re missing out on is a chance to increase the fan base for these kinds of films, and gain more exposure as a studio. House of Flying Daggers gained quite a bit of attention during it’s limited run, including nominations for several awards, but yet I still missed it in theaters. I’ll be checking it out on DVD for certain though.
Primer - I know, you’re saying, “Rafe, what’s up. You talked about this one three weeks ago. Because of you I rushed out to buy it on Tuesday and it was nowhere to be found. Where’s your credibility yo?” Well, first of all, step back. I don’t need you all in my face like that. That’s the joy of websites that don’t keep up with release dates. One of the websites I count on for releases still had this listed as coming out a few weeks ago, much like they had Seed of Chucky listed with a release date of last week (which was moved back a month ago). I guess it goes to show that websites aren’t infallable, including ours. I’m still interested in this one, and hope to actually find it in stores this week to pick up and review for your reading pleasure.
xXx - Uncensored Unrated Director’s Cut - Let’s see, it’s got more than two phrases to describe the DVD, so it must be a convienent rehash of the original in order to hype the upcoming sequel. Sure enough, this “uncensored unrated director’s cut” contains a free ticket to xXx: State of the Union (or xXx2 for you Europeans). Incidently, that free ticket is just about the only way I’ll see the sequel. I mean, xXx was a fun little popcorn action flick and I’ll leave the tv on it if I come across Vin Diesel’s mug while channel surfing, but it’s not exactly a film that will be remembered for years to come for it’s dramatic merit. I can’t imagine this one, which is another Vin-free sequel like Fast and the Furious 2, will come close to the original. Gotta give Ice Cube credit for trying... actually, no you don’t.
TV on DVD - Even the TV releases this week are relatively lame, with the best thing being the second season of That 70’s Show. However, if you’re into high, over the top drama, check out the first season of Dynasty. Soap opera antics don’t get any better than Joan Collins in a catfight.
