Yogi Bear
It's been a long time coming for Hanna-Barbara's smarter than the average bear to make his way to the big screen. He should've stuck to reruns on Boomerang, because this blend of live-action and computer animation is about as fun as an ant-infested picnic. Think of all the things that could go wrong and they do: poorly realized human characters; Yogi given personality traits that render him unlikable; an unfunny bad guy to go up against. It's all wrong. Not even kids are going to want to embark on this adventure. On the plus side it's another notch on the belt for Justin Timberlake, who does a mean Boo-Boo voice.
The Tourist
Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp make for a glamourous pair in this very European, relaxedt thriller from the director of The Lives of Others
. A strange follow-up to that intense film, which sees Jolie as the significant other to a global criminal mastermind, pursued by the authorities in hopes of disovering his whereabouts. Depp is the poor American schoolteacher caught up in her game of cat and mouse. Possibly the most gorgeous Jolie has looked in years. Depp? Eh, he's Depp. Unconvincing when playing regular people. How Do You Know
How does a movie like this fail so spectacularly? A comedic legend like James L. Brooks gathers a usually solidly performing cast of Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, and old vet Jack Nicholson. Ultimately nobody cared about any of that, and a lot of the fault goes with the terrible marketing campaign which quite correctly painted it as a token rom-com.
Stand By Me(25th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray)
I was nine years old when I saw Stand By Me for the first time. A coming of age film like no other, it was one of the few that treated it's pre-teen protagonists like real people, full of flaws and fears and questions. Rob Reiner adapted the film from Stephen King's novel, bringing us along on a heartfelt journey full of dark comedy, hope, and tragedy. Only one of the actors truly went on to bigger and better things(Jerry O'Connell!!??), but the real question is what would River Phoenix be if he were still alive today? He'd probably be pretty awesome. An absolute must buy.
Skyline
Ahhh, Skyline. The trailers were so promising. My jaw dropped the first time I caught the scene with the spaceships vacuuming people up into the air like dust bunnies. What made it all the more impressive was the meager budget, estimated at less than $20M. Then the movie came out and apparently someone forget to put some money into a script. Oops.
The Sandlot (Blu-Ray)
I don't know a person on the planet who doesn't have fond memories of this baseball gem, about a group of kids whose lives are completely engulfed by the sport. You weren't a real boy if you couldn't knock one out of the park, gun down a runner at 2nd base, or snag a fly ball on the run. Unfortunately those are three things Tommy Smalls can't do, and he spends the entire summer trying to learn how. An awesome film, with one of the funniest amusement parks scenes ever. Keep an eye out for a young Marley Shelton as..you guessed it...the town hottie. Love this flick.
Girls Guns & G-Strings
I don't know a darn thing about this DVD but the title and cover alone make it a possible purchase. Somehow whatever this is manages to combine the awesomeness of Pat "Mr. Miyagi" Morita and Erik "Chips" Estrada into one package and not explode.
The People I've Slept With
Lindsay Lohan's planning a remake as potential franchise. Just kidding.
