With Kevin Smith winding down his filmmaking career(he's only got the two Hit Somebody flicks left), he makes his boldest career move yet with Red State. Taking a sharp turn from his usually whimsical New Jersey adventures, Red State is instead a harsh, religious horror featuring a bone chilling lead performance by Michael Parks. It may not be up everybody's alley, but you have to applaud Smith for going out on a limb.
Sometimes it's good to read a film's title and know exactly what you're getting. Such is the case with Bad Teacher, which features a spirited, raunchy performance by Cameron Diaz as...well, a really bad teacher who cusses, ignores her class, and spends every waking moment trying to secure a rich husband. Co-stars Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, and Lucy Punch.
This won't come as a surprise to anybody who follows the site, as I've had Michael Rapaport's insightful documentary as my best film of the year for months. Following their humble beginnings in Brooklyn in the 1980s, to their dominance over the hip hop scene by crafting a sound nobody had ever heard before. A combination of funk, jazz, and R&B, along with two diverse but complimentary lyrical styles, A Tribe Called Quest became the flagbearers for a new generation of rap fan. Unfortunately, stardom has a price, and internal strife soon caused the group to drift apart. Rapaport, clearly a devoted fan in his own right, tries to get to the heart of the dispute in hopes of a possible reconciliation.
Other Notable Releases
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp
Batman: Year One, featuring Bryan Cranston and Eliza Dushku
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Complete Season 3
The Crow (Blu-Ray), starring Brandon Lee
Monte Carlo, starring Selena Gomez
Pirates of the Caribbean 4-Move Collection (Blu-Ray)
Pearl Jam Twenty, directed by Cameron Crowe
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (3-Disc 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition Blu-Ray)
Page One: Inside the New York Times
A Better Life, directed by Chris Weitz
