August 24, 2010: Starro Spore Giveaway

By Barry Freiman

By Barry Freiman

“Smallville” this week announced that Michael Ironside and Peyton List are returning to “Smallville” this year as General Sam Lane – Lois Lane’s Dad – and Lucy Lane – Lois’s little sister. Many of you may have read this news story and not thought much of it – historically minor characters are returning to a show on which they appeared six seasons ago and, in Lucy Lane’s case, only once. Except the decision to bring back the General and Lucy proves that “Smallville” is serious about opening the door for just about anyone to return this year.

So how about Dr. Virgil Swann? Whether in a flashback or a clone, why not bring back the Christopher Reeve-played character, except played in Season 10 by (wait for it) Brandon Routh (“Superman Returns”). We already know Routh can play Reeve playing in the Superman universe. Routh was recently quoted as saying perhaps he played in the universe too recently for it to not be confusing for him to appear on “Smallville”. Except, if done right, this could be a lovely homage to the man who created the film role that made Routh’s first film role possible. What do you think? Tribute or tacky?

Friday on “Smallville” it’s “Upgrade” at 8 PM on the CW. Reruns also air three hours each weekday on HD-Net.

Superman: The Animated Series” airs Sunday at 2 AM on DXD.

Click "Read More" for the week's entire "Superman on TV" column.

By Barry Freiman

By Barry Freiman

While the cat’s away, the mice will play. Superman Homepage editor in chief Steve Younis is still on vacation so it’d be easy to say this column’s late again because I don’t have my EIC on my back. But with Steve away, Neal and I are running the site in tandem so, technically, for now, I’m both cat and mouse. Or both Perry and Lois. So while the column is two days late again this week, you can all take comfort that the de facto co-EIC, me, is taking it out on me.

San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone but the “Smallville” news for the last season seems to be never-ending. The return of so many characters who are supposed to be dead – Jonathan Kent and Lionel Luthor for instance – leads me to believe that Darkseid’s minions are either resuscitating the dead or building clones. Given the involvement of Project: Cadmus in the festivities this season, I’m guessing it’s time to send in the clones.

With one magic word . . . SHAZAM! Billy Batson, orphaned star reporter for WHIZ-TV, says his magic word and is granted the powers of the six Gods whose initials spell out the name of the old Wizard Shazam – Solomon’s Wisdom, Hercules Strength, Atlas’s Stamina, Zeus’s Power, Achilles’ Courage, and Mercury’s Speed. Unfortunately for Billy, before he became Captain Marvel, the World’s Mightiest Mortal, the wizard had chosen another champion, Teth Adam, who on uttering the word “Shazam!” became Black Adam. Teth became consumed with power and turned to the dark side and was eventually banished by the wizard. Eventually Black Adam returns to Earth.

The story of Black Adam’s return and his battle with the Big Red Cheese has been told many times and many ways, but, this November, it’s told with Superman! As announced last week, the upcoming compilation DVD of the DC Showcase series of animated shorts will feature the never before seen 22-minute flick “Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam”. One of the most exciting things about the “Superman/Shazam!” short is the return of voice actor George Newbern to the roles of Clark Kent and Superman. Newbern replaced Tim Daly who had voiced Supes on “Superman: The Animated Series” when the character and his continuity leapt to “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited”.

Click "Read More" for This Week's Entire "Superman on TV" Column.

August is the Mississippi of the calendar. It's beastly hot and muggy. It has a dismal history. Nothing good ever happens in it. And the United States would be better off without it.[more ...]

Mississippi - United States - Recreation - Business and Economy - Soladigm

What's watch-worthy on TV this week

There are three big new DVD releases this week with two tales of romance in Dear John and Cherrybomb (the latter featuring Ron Weasl... er, Rupert Grint) and one tale of dystopian organ harvesting in Repo Men. Whatever floats your boat...

So are ...

How might Castiel help the boys in season 6? Please DO NOT Delete Another Member's Answer Your Name Answer

August kicks off with a fight.

Releasing on home video tomorrow is the violent and over-the-top Kick-Ass.  The movie is based off of the graphic comics of the same name, and while the movie version of the story had been fast-tracked due to the popularity of the series, the fan base failed to make it out to theaters.  

The movie opened in the number one spot back in April with just $19.1 Million, and had left the top ten before reaching its fourth week of release.  Some blamed the aggressive and violent nature of the movie's female youngster, Hit-Girl, as to why it was so poorly received.  The movie only made $48 Million while in theaters, but had a budget of just $30 Million.  

Also releasing tomorrow is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  The movie is based off of the famous children's book of the same name and did fairly well while at the box office earlier this year.  Wimpy Kid tells the story of Greg Heffley, a smart and joking middle schooler who finds his school to be quite the dangerous place for a person like himself.  The sequel has already gone into production with a release date of March 25th, 2011.

Fans of thrillers will want to check out The Ghost Writer, which stars Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan.  The movie was directed by Roman Polanski, who finished editing the movie while in a Swiss prison.  Polanski fled the United States back in 1977 after he pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor.  The Swiss police had arrested Polanski while the director was trying to finish post-production on the movie.  The movie is about a ghost writer (McGregor) who is hired to write the memoirs of the Prime Minister, which leads to scandals, politics, and mystery.  

Anna Paquin's older brother, Andrew Paquin, sees his movie Open House release on home video tomorrow.  Andrew wrote and directed Open House, a horror movie about a soon-to-be-divorced couple who have an unexpected intruder after arranging an open house for their home.  A Prophet, the French 2009 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film also releases tomorrow.

 The Best

Kick-Ass

Buy/Rent/Skip: Rent – Read the Review

Mark Millar's violent comic tale of wannabe superheroes is adapted by writer/director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) with this Marv Films production. Aaron Johnson stars as a teen who steps out of his house one day with a mask and a painted baseball bat and starts to fight crime even though he has no superpowers. Lyndsy Fonseca co-stars as the character's object of desire, with Nicolas Cage also appearing as an ex-cop whose hatred of a drug lord forces him to train his daughter to be a lethal vigilante. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Director: Matthew Vaugh

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz
MPAA Rating:   Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use – some involving children.
 

Official Website: http://www.kickass-themovie.com/

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Buy/Rent/Skip: Rent

Hotel for Dogs' director Thor Freudenthal helms the adaptation of Jeff Kinney's acclaimed Diary of a Wimpy Kid comics with this Fox 2000 production. Zachary Gordon starring as the titular character, with Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris, Robert Capron, and Devon Bostick filling out the rest of the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
 

Director:  Thor Freudenthal

Starring:  Zachery Gordon, Steve Zahn
MPAA Rating:  Rated PG for some rude humor and language.

Official Website:http://www.wimpykid.com/

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

The Ghost Writer

Buy/Rent/Skip: Rent

A ghostwriter stumbles onto a secret that places his life in danger as he takes down the life story of a former U.K. prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) in this Roman Polanski-helmed adaptation of the Robert Harris novel. Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, and Jim Belushi co-star in the Summit International production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Director: Roman Polanski

Starring:  Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan
MPAA Rating:  Rated PG-13 for language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence and a drug reference.
 

Official Website: http://www.theghost-romanpolanski.com/

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

The Rest

Open House

A woman trying to move on with her life is thrown into a potentially deadly situation in this independent thriller. Alice (Rachel Blanchard) has just broken up with her husband and has decided to sell the house they shared. Alice has been showing her home to prospective buyers when a strange couple sneaks into the house, David (Brian Geraghty) and Lila (Tricia Helfer). David and Lila are psychotic murderers who promptly kill a friend who was visiting Alice; Lila orders David to murder Alice as well, but for some reason he… (Read Full Synopsis)

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)
 

A Prophet

Read the Review
 

An impressionable and vulnerable Arabic man gets thrust into a hellish prison, and ironically discovers greater opportunities for success than he ever possessed outside of the bars, in this violent melodrama from French succès d’estime Jacques Audiard (The Beat That My Heart Skipped). Tahar Rahim stars as Malik El Djebena, a petty criminal incarcerated for six years. Once inside and subjected to all of the standard brutalities that most prisoners endure (including a rough strip search), he is quickly educated in the "ways" of the prison, an institution torn violently between gangs of Corsicans and Arabs. The head Corsican thug, César Luciani (Niels Arestrup), offers Malik an ultimatum…(Read Full Synopsis)
 

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

Recent DVD and Blu-ray Releases

July 27th – Clash of the Titans and more…

July 20th –  Cop Out and more…

July 13th – The Bounty Hunter and more…

July 6th - A Single Man and more…

June 29th - Hot Tub Time Machine and more…

June 22nd - Green Zone and more…

June 15th - Book of Eli and more…

Article written by Matt Wehner on GotchaMovies.com. Reposted with permission.

Join us each week as Rob Hunter takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs. And remember, these listings and category placements are meant as informational conversation starters only. But you can still tell Hunter how wrong he is in the comment section below.
This week sees new releases from the Roger Corman Cult Classics line (Humanoids From the Deep and Piranha), an absolutely brilliant French crime drama (A Prophet), the latest from Roman “Oui, dans le cul” Polanski (The Ghost Writer), a hot Bangle (The AllNighter), a pint-sized crime fighter (Kick-Ass) and more!
See all of this week’s relevant DVD releases after the jump…

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD. And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s This Week In Blu-ray for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Humanoids From the Deep
Pitch: What happens when you genetically cross men with salmon? You get really horny (and violent) mermen…
Why Buy? A scientific experiment goes awry (as they always seem to do) and the resulting mutation escapes to dismember guys and forcibly seduce the ladies. Unlike Piranha below, this Roger Corman produced horror flick is played completely serious, but that doesn’t mean there are no laughs to be found of course. Humor aside there are some bloody kills to be found here along with plenty of naked lady flesh, and between the US premiere of the longer international cut and some (inexplicably) deleted scenes there’s even more of both here on Shout! Factory’s disc.
Extra Features? Deleted scenes, interviews, making of, trailers

Kick-Ass
Pitch: Violence, sex, and a dirty-mouthed pre-teen? Sounds like an average weekend in the life of Landon Palmer…
Why Buy? A bored teenager with ADD decides to try his hand at the whole superhero thing and catches the eyes of a father/daughter crime-fighting duo as well as a murderous mob boss. All the online hype in the world doesn’t necessarily equate into box-office dollars as this movie failed to catch on with the public at large. It’s too bad because this is a fun and foul flick filled with big laughs and some impressive fights and action sequences. Plus, the movie features a performance from Nicolas Cage that manages to enhance the film instead of detract from it. So that’s got to be worth a watch right?
Extra Features? Commentary, featurette, gallery

Piranha
Pitch: What has a thousand teeth and likes removing bikini tops from co-eds? Piranha. Of course…
Why Buy? A resort community finds a school of piranha dumped into their river, but these aren’t you’re every day piranha… they’re genetically modified killing machines! Joe Dante’s directorial debut is a fun spiritual sequel to Jaws that does a good job mixing genre expectations with some solidly entertaining sequences. You don’t find horror movies willing to show kids getting killed, let alone nibbled to death, but Dante gives us that and more as the piranha feast on the human buffet. Be sure to watch the making-of as well for some humorous anecdotes on the film’s production. Check out Robert Fure’s review of the movie and disc here.
Extra Features? Commentary, behind the scenes, bloopers, additional scenes, trailers

A Prophet
Pitch: A Muslim mobster movie? Not really, but alliteration is fun…
Why Buy? A young Arab man enters prison and finds himself forced into service for the head of the Corsican faction while he struggles to survive inside. I may be asked to turn in my ‘man’ card with this, but I’ve never been a huge fan of mob movies. There are a few I enjoy but too often they seem to just check the boxes of the genre and never bother striving for anything more original. This French movie goes well beyond the genre norm in its exploration of power, race, and ambition in the Parisian crime world. It’s also entertaining, interesting, and human thanks to a fantastic lead performance.
Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, rehearsal footage


The AllNighter
Pitch: Susanna Hoffs is hot and very bangle-able…
Why Rent? Three friends graduate from college and decide to spend one last night hanging out and partying together. This light-weight and simple comedy won’t cure cancer or anything, but sometimes “perfectly adequate” is all you need. It’s an obvious eighties movie in every sense of the word, and that combined with the sexy and charismatic Hoffs make it for a fun ninety minutes. Plus it stars Joan Cusack as one of Hoffs’ friends! And Michelle Pfeiffer’s sister as the other one!
Extra Features? None

Diary Of a Wimpy Kid
Pitch: Whatever you do, don’t touch the cheese…
Why Rent? A small-for-his-age kid heads off to middle school determined to make his mark and become popular. This movie is based on a series of popular kids’ books and a sequel has already been green-lit, but has there ever been a less likable lead character in a movie made for children? Seriously, this kid is a jerk. The actor makes him entertaining at least and there are enough jokes and fun with the supporting cast to make this a mildly worthwhile diversion for households with young ones.
Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette, trailer

Finding Bliss
Pitch: Ever wonder what Jamie Kennedy’s junk looks like? God I hope the answer is no, but if not you’ll definitely want to check this movie out…
Why Rent? A film school graduate (Leelee Sobieski) with low sexual self-esteem heads to Los Angeles to work in film but ends up as an editor for an adult video company where she tries to make her own independent movie at night. Sobieski fans will be happy to hear that she finally gets a lead role and shows she’s more than up to the task at hand. She does a fine job here as does the supporting cast who never shy away from the fairly raunchy dialogue, and even though no one would ever believe a worthwhile and honestly good movie could be filmed entirely on a porn soundstage you’ll be rooting for her success all the same. It’s a romantic comedy (with dick), and it has a bit more heart and laughs than you’d probably expect from a direct to DVD movie so throw some support Sobieski’s way and check it out.
Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes, storyboards

The Living Wake
Pitch: I want an Asian baby from Korea or Japan, Vietnam it doesn’t matter, I just want it in my hand. But no one, will let me play, with their Asian baby…
Why Rent? K. Roth Binew (Mike O’Connell) is convinced he’ll be dead by the end of the day so he organizes his own wake with the aid of his right-hand man, Mills Joquin (Jesse Eisenberg). This is a funny movie, but the humor is of the quirky indie variety and therefore not for everyone. O’Connell is a personality/comedian as opposed to a true actor, but he manages a spirited and entertaining performance just the same. Eisenberg on the other hand is a fine actor but intentionally plays to the quirk as he transports Binew along in a bicycle-powered rickshaw. Worth a watch for those that can handle the odd pacing, low budget, and O’Connell’s abrasive style.
Extra Features? None

Sweetgrass
Pitch: I hate to judge an entire industry based on one glimpse, but damn, these shepherds are pricks…
Why Rent? This doc explores shepherd life as a herd of sheep are ranged across the mountains, and the filmmakers let the images do the talking in lieu of interviews or planned dialogue exchanges. It’s not for everyone as the industry is not pleasant for the animals or for folks who think of them as anything but fodder for mankind’s whims. Sheep treated as simple product is unsurprising but still rough to watch. Tiny, fragile-looking lambs are tossed around by their necks, and full-grown sheep are manhandled and contorted during the shearing process. It’s all fairly ugly. But it’s reality, and shots like these are balanced with some truly beautiful imagery of the Montana landscape and of the animals themselves acting with curiosity and a sheep-like mentality… There’s also a hilarious rant by a frustrated shepherd that would make David Mamet blush.
Extra Features? None


After.Life
Pitch: If the best thing about a movie is a generous amount of naked Christina Ricci, then, well okay. That’s not such a bad thing…
Why Avoid? A teacher (Ricci) drives angry and crashes her car after a fight with her boyfriend (Justin Long) and wakes up on a mortuary slab. The mortician (Liam Neeson) tells her to relax and to just accept her death, but she won’t take it lying down. Well, she will, but not for long. The movie drags the premise out for what feels like much longer than it actually is with brief detours with the boyfriend dealing with his grief and doubt over her death. An interesting turn of events appears near the ending, but if you give it more than a second or two of thought you’ll see how full of holes it really is.
Extra Features? Making of, trailer

The Ghost Writer
Pitch: What do you call a thriller without a single thrill? Er…
Why Avoid? A writer (Ewan McGregor) is hired to work on an ex-Prime Minister’s (Pierce Brosnan) autobiography after the last ghost writer ends up dead. Roman Polanski’s mid to late career films have focused on a balance between dramas and thrillers with his latest falling into the latter category. Theoretically. This flick just plods along, occasionally throwing in some anti-torture/anti-US ramblings, before a minor reveal and a silly ending. We never get anything remotely resembling suspense or even real drama. The terribly fake-looking exteriors at the beach house don’t help either.
Extra Features? Interview, featurettes

Happiness Runs
Pitch: As annoying as hippies can be, their kids are apparently even worse…
Why Avoid? A teenager raised in a commune decides its time to leave when he realizes how messed up his peers are becoming. It seems being raised around rampant sex and drug use can have a negative effect on children. The premise here has potential and I’m almost always in favor of teen sex scenes, but the movie fails to get a dramatic foothold due to a combination of poor directing, writing, and acting. Even Rutger Hauer phones it in as the local guru who hypnotizes the ladies into dropping their tie-dyed underpants. I defy anyone to actually care about Victor’s situation or the artificial drama that surrounds him.
Extra Features? None

Also out this week, but I haven’t seen it and review material was unavailable:
Battletruck/Deathsport Double Feature
Blood Done Sign My Name
The Dungeon Masters
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared Syn
Open House
Spike
To Save A Life
In the interest of full disclosure, I received review copies of the following DVDs for this week’s column:
After.Life
Finding Bliss
The Ghost Writer
Humanoids From the Deep
Piranha

Read More: This Week in DVD
What are you buying on DVD this week?

This week's DVD releases are fresh out of the oven (or rather, available in respectable retailers now) and for your delectation we've got Oscar-winning drama The Blind Side and non-Oscar-winning actioner Legion. But are either worth getting the ... Read more Filed under: DVD ReviewsPermalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Planet Green is shifting gears and focusing on blue!

Watch special programming on the Planet Green Channel, including exciting new premieres.

Here’s a sneak peek of the summer’s new line-up:

One Water, premiering August 2 at 9/8c
Narrated by Martin Sheen and shot in 15 countries, this documentary follows the daily struggle of several communities throughout the planet to obtain and maintain potable water. One Water highlights a world where water is exquisitely abundant in some places and dangerously lacking in others, leaving audiences with a series of provocative questions that culminate in one that will impact all of our futures: is water a human right or a commodity?

Oceans Blue... Read the full story on Planet Green

From Jennifer Lopez's pitch at getting back her A-list status in the romantic comedy The Back-up Plan to George A. Romero's newest zombie flick, Survival of the Dead, here's a look at the wildly diverse array of films coming out this week on DVD and Blu-ray.