How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
May 18, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who think it’s about time Morgan Freeman became a president: Invictus
Clint Eastwood’s what-seems-like-annual-Christmastime-release came in the form of Invictus late last year. Co-starring Eastwood’s go-to friend, Morgan Freeman, as former South African President Nelson Mandela, Invictus is a bio drama based on events surrounding the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which President Mendela used to springboard a movement that brought together a segregated nation. Matt Damon rounds out the cast as the fit captain of South Africa’s rugby union team. Whether or not the guy actually passes as a world-class athlete named Francois is really up to you.
Given that Barack Obama is our President, it’s probably a no-brainer why Warner Bros. released Invictus at the time that it did. Mandela’s story in some ways compares to that of Obama’s. Both times we’re talking about black presidents who are elected to office during trying times. The men are faced with a struggle to unite a population that stands divided, be it racially (Mandela) or politically (Obama).
Through Obama, Americans could relate to Invictus on a more personal level. With this in mind, I went into Invictus expecting smart, compelling drama, and was disappointed to find it come up short. Invictus is the watered-down version of a movie that one would expect from a guy like Eastwood, who in recent years has impressed me with movies like Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino. Of these, Invictus is an easy fourth.
Disc includes: In-Depth Picture-in-Picture featurette, Mandella Meets Morgan featurette, The Eastwood Factor featurette, Matt Damon Plays Rugby featurette, Invictus music trailer
For people who love it when movies stuff themselves with excessive plot clichés: Valentine’s Day
Audiences expecting a romantic comedy similar to Love Actually were in for a exceptionally rude awakening when Valentine’s Day, co-starring everyone who is anyone, turned out to be a mess of a movie. Even my mother, who likes any romcom – trust me on this; the woman loves it all – told me she left the theater with severely bitter feelings toward the Garry Marshall project. She wasn’t alone either: 16% of the nation’s top critics were similarly disinterested in the film, according to movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Marshall, of course, is the dude behind (mostly) beloved movies like Overboard, Beaches and Pretty Woman.
Valentine’s Day assembled one of the largest ensemble casts in Hollywood history. Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher and more showed up for work, as well as the industry’s younger generation of stars like Emma Roberts, Taylor Lautner and acting newb Taylor Swift. In the film, they navigate through the highs and lows of dating and relationships over the course of one Valentine’s Day.
The $52 million movie made back its production budget in its opening weekend alone, grossing more than $56 million on its way to a $110 million domestic cume. To no one’s surprise, a 2011 sequel is in the works. The title? New Year’s Eve.
Disc includes: The Stars Confess Their Valentine’s Day Stories featurette, audio commentary, The Garry Factor featurette, “Stay Here Forever” music video by Jewel, blooper reel, Sex and the City 2 trailer, additional scenes
For people who are tired of Pixar’s exceptionally amazing CGI: Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus [Blu-ray]
Before proceeding further, do yourself a tremendous favor and watch the trailer to Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. Doing so will make you indisputably agree that the movie, which was released direct-to-DVD sometime last year and is available today in Blu-ray, can only be one of the lamest movies ever produced. Well, either that or I’m too sober to write much positive about a movie that pits a gigantic, eight-legged freak against an unearthly shark. Hardly any thought (or money) was put into the sea creatures’ CGI, too. A pity, considering they’re the movie’s titular characters.
The flick is a product of The Asylum, a film studio and DVD distributor founded in 1997 specializing in producing “mockbusters” – or, low-budget productions that attempt to capitalize on major studio movies. Transformers begot Transmorphers, Cloverfield led to Monster and Land of the Lost gave us The Land That Time Forgot.
Think of The Asylum as a poor man’s derivative of the Scary Movie franchise. And hey! It’s giving dudes like Lorenzo Lamas steady work. He stars in the movie alongside singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, who hit it big 23 years ago when her song, “Foolish Beat,” hit #1.
Disc includes: N/A
For people whose faces make them look fat: Black Sheep/Tommy Boy
(Back-To-Back) [Blu-ray]
Some decent home media bundles have been released in recent weeks, and today’s deal continues the trend. Black Sheep and Tommy Boy celebrate their Blu-rayness in a special two-fer for fans of David Spade and the late Chris Farley. Perhaps their best known movies filmed together, Black Sheep and Tommy Boy are about how not to do a cross-nation sales trip and how not to ruin a tight political contest, respectively.
Disc includes: N/A
May 18, 2010
Blu-ray
2012: Doomsday
2012: Doomsday / Countdown: Armageddon
30,000 Leagues Under the Sea
9 Songs
Appleseed
Black Sheep/Tommy Boy
Carlito's Way
Coming to America / Trading Places
Countdown: Armageddon
The Day the Earth Stopped
Defiance / Enemy at the Gates
Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season 1, Part 1
Dragonquest
Dragonquest / Merlin & The War Of The Dragons
The Dukes
Extraordinary Measures
Four Brothers / Warriors
Invictus
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus / 30,000 Leagues
Merlin & The War Of The Dragons
The Messenger
The New Daughter
Outlander
Speed Racer (New Packaging)
The Spy Next Door
Tropic Thunder / We Were Soldiers
Valentine's Day
Walkabout (Criterion Collection)
War Of The Worlds 2: Next Wave / Day The Earth Stopped
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
DVD
21 Jump Street: The Complete Second Season
30 Days: The Complete Series (Set)
30,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Black Sheep/Tommy Boy (Back-To-Back)
Bruce Springsteen: Under The Influence
The Day the Earth Stopped
Defenders of Earth: Complete Series
Extraordinary Measures
The Greatest American Hero: Season One
The Greatest American Hero: The Complete Series (Set)
Hunter: The Complete Second Season (Set)
Invasion of the Pod People (Widescreen)
Invictus
The Jeff Dunham Show
John Lennon: Rare & Unseen
The Kinks: You Really Got Me Story Of The Kinks
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Season 5
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus
Merlin & The War Of The Dragons
The Messenger
Michael Jackson History: The King of Pop 1958-2009 (Widescreen)
Minder: Season One
Minder: Season Two
The New Daughter
The Spy Next Door
Tropic Thunder / We Were Soldiers (Back-To-Back)
Valentine's Day
Walkabout (Criterion Collection)
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave