Only Seth MacFarlane could make something so vulgar and universally offensive involving a talking teddy bear that would blow up summer box offices across the county and have countless critics (including us) hold it up as the funniest film of the year. While I have gone on record saying that MacFarlane's humor is beginning to wear a little thin on me Ted proves that he's still got a few surprises left in him. Hell, even the fact that 90% of the voices he does are nearly identical doesn't really bother me...just goes to show you that if your movie is truly funny you don't have to bat 1000 on all fronts.
BUY
Jeremy Renner takes the lead from Matt Damon in this sans-Bourne, Bourne movie that follows the next stage of the Blackbriar project that created Jason Bourne. Renner is down right awesome in the role, bringing a welcome wave of personality to the genetically enhanced super spy series. He brings all of the brutal physicality that fans have come to expect and adds the ability to smile and tell a joke. First time series director Tony Gilroy keeps the action moving and makes even uninteresting tasks feel magnetic.
BUY
Ice Age: Continental Drift:
The latest entry in one of the longest running, non-pixar, animated series of the last decade, Ice Age: Continental Drift. While it doesn't hold a candle to the bigger names in animated movies the Ice Age series has brought fun and memorable characters to kids everywhere so I can't knock it...after all, isn't that what these movies are for in the first place? If you don't have kids you can most likely skip this one.
Parents: BUY
Everyone else: SKIP
NEW TO BLU-RAY
Warren Beatty at his coolest, Madonna at her hottest, and an unrecognizable but still awesome Al Pacino should be reason enough to pick up this early 90's classic on Blu-Ray. People in their late-20's to early 30's will instantly remember that summer when the all but unknown to our generation super detective Dick Tracy invaded everything that we came in contact with, from McDonalds to Nickelodeon Tracy became a pop culture phenomenon to kids across the country in 1990. The best part? The movie was actually good! (not to mention Madonna in a totally see-thru dress...you must understand, as an 8-10 year old going to a PG movie this was the grandest of all surprises!).
BUY
And Your Shameless Rip-Off of the Week is:
Somehow this flick is currently sold out at Amazon...either that or Peter Jackson called The Cochran Firm lickety split. In any event this "film" will be back in stock soon. I don't know about you but I can't wait to see how the guy from Stargate and Bai Ling will save us from the evil Copyright King.
UPDATE: Looks like Warner Bros. did call the law dogs! While I agree that doing this is all kinds of wrong, I think WB's statement that Age of the Hobbits will confuse viewers with their legit film should be taken as a direct insult to moviegoer's everywhere!
A lawsuit by Warner Bros. resulted in a temporary restraining order preventing The Asylum from releasing the film on its scheduled release date of December 11. The federal judge presiding over the case found that the film violated the "Hobbit" trademark and was likely to cause confusion among consumers. As a result, Age of the Hobbits became the first Asylum film to be blocked from release. A hearing was also scheduled for January 28, 2013 to decide whether the restraining order should become a preliminary injunction.
