Home Theatre Tuesday (April 24, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

 

 

 

Rent it: Contraband

I'm not much into action movies. But after seeing The Italian Job, also starring Mark Wahlberg, I realized I need to give them more of a chance. Which is why I saw Contraband.  

Contraband isn't so much of an action movie as it is suspense. While there are some high adrenaline physical moments and hot chases, it is more comprised of palpably tense phone calls and confrontations. Combined with talented roster of actors (well, I'm not so much a fan of Wahlberg but this is his genre if there was one), these scenes make for a captivating thriller with perfect pacing and occasional bouts of action. 

Read the rest of Michelle's review.   

Also out: Pariah

This drama, about a young African American lesbian (Adepero Oduye) coming to terms with her identity, got high praise from top critics. It also landed some pretty sweet indie loot including Best Cinematography at Sundance and the John Cassavetes Award at the Indie Spirits. 

DVD: The Divide

I'm a bit of a germaphobe (or so I'm told; I think my constant hand-washing and sanitization are more than justifiable). Old places, basements and unfinished room also sometimes gross me out because they've collected years of dust and germs (you can laugh, but I'm sure some of you completely understand). I hadn't really realized that The Divide took place in an old, unfinished, apartment basement when I saw the trailer. Even still, I could get over that, but over two hours, this movie just grew to become more and more disgusting, beyond poor hygiene into physical human cruelty, emotional torment and ultimately societal corruption and despair. This movie left me with such a feeling of disgust that no amount of soap could wash away.

The Divide follows a group of survivors camping out in their apartment basement after New York is ravaged by nuclear blasts. They've sealed themselves in, in fear of the slightest leak and contamination. Trapped together, we watch as humanity crumbles and self-destructs.

It's like a much less intelligible, perversion of a The Lord of the Flies-type story that fails to examine the fundamentals of society and relationships, but rather just tears it apart for fun, or lack thereof. It's an ultimate gross-out of a movie that crawls under your skin and churns your stomach, so much that you're distracted from its strong performances, great use of a tiny set and potentially good writing. In fact, these things don't matter. It seems the sole purpose of this movie is to do exactly that, make you feel sick and dirty.

I wanted to like this movie. I love sci-fi and can appreciate low-budget creativity (actually, more so than big-budget). I was also open to a post-apocalyptic survival story, as much as we're currently saturated with the like. The Divide could have been so much more. It could have been clever and artistic and challenging. Instead, it was just challenging to watch. D+

Starring Milo Ventimiglia and Lauren German. Directed by Xavier Gens. 121 minutes. Unrated

Home Theatre Tuesday (April 17, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Don't even rent it: The Divide

I'm a bit of a germaphobe (or so I'm told; I think my constant hand-washing and sanitization are more than justifiable). Old places, basements and unfinished room also sometimes gross me out because they've collected years of dust and germs (you can laugh, but I'm sure some of you completely understand). I hadn't really realized that The Divide took place in an old, unfinished, apartment basement when I saw the trailer. Even still, I could get over that, but over two hours, this movie just grew to become more and more disgusting, beyond poor hygiene into physical human cruelty, emotional torment and ultimately societal corruption and despair. This movie left me with such a feeling of disgust that no amount of soap could wash away.

Read the rest of Michelle's review on Thursday.

Also out: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Supposedly the most intense installable in the Mission: Impossible series. When a bombing causes the IMF to shut down, Ethan Hunt and his team are out again, this time to clear his organization's name in what seems to be the most dangerous mission of all.

DVD: The Muppets

I used to watch reruns of the Muppets and Sesame Street religiously when I was young. I've seen every Muppets movie. It's fair to say I'm the target audience for the latest Muppets movie. Also, I like Jason Segel and Amy Adams a lot, another bonus, as well as Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords, who wrote all the original songs for the movie (and won an Oscar for "Man or Muppet"!). OK you get it. I had been waiting for this movie since I first heard about it. But I'm also a tough critic. The Muppets are best known for their balance of pop culture references, old school comedy, celebrity appearances and their borderline inappropriate humour. I was also ready to not like this film based on the overly cutesy Glee-like musical trailers, blegh, but I would give it a chance because they're the Muppets. I was pleasantly surprised.

We meet the two brothers Walter (a puppet) and Gary (Jason Segel), and Gary's girlfriend Mary (amy Adams). Walter is obsessed with the Muppets and jumps at the chance to join Gary and Mary on a trip to Hollywood to visit the Muppets studio. When they arrive they discover that an evil oil tycoon (Chris Cooper) is planning on tearing down the studio unless the Muppets can get 10 million dollars together in a couple days. The brothers and Mary find Kermit and they all set out to get the old gang back together for one last show to save the studio. Cue the montages!

Compared to the other Muppet movies, they really took this film in a different direction, mostly in that there is a lot of focus on the original show. It feels like the team got together and went through all of the Muppets history (and puppet closet!) to come up with what's really a love letter to the show. There's old footage, old characters, and recreations of the old set and feel of the show. This Muppets movie is really for old fans, and their kids. There are of course lots of currently popular stars but that isn't the focus; the focus is nostalgia with a sense of humour. Now don't get me wrong, Muppets movies are notoriously silly, a little shallow and thinly plotted, and this one was no different but this one felt a lot more aware of it and pushed it, evident in the campaign prior to the films release (i.e. multiple internet spoof trailers and Miss Piggy's fashion magazine spread).

Walter, the token "new" Muppet (mandatory for all Muppet movies), is an OK addition. He learns all about the Muppets past and what it means to be a part of the gang. By the end of the film everyone is just so happy to be together that all problems they experience along the way solve themselves, a classic Muppet movie ending, and a little forced. The show at the end of the film is worth the rent though and is a great throwback to the original show but with relevant nods for the younger audience members.

All in all its a Muppets movie for classic Muppet lovers (which was apparently not my sister who said "meh"). I would watch any Muppets movie and it was about time for a new one. Ignoring most of the more forced parts, it was a pleasure. B


EXTRAS: A special "intermission" when you pause the movie, blooper reel, making-of featurette, deleted scenes, screen tests, spoof trailers, audio commentary and Easter eggs.

Starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Rashida Jones, Chris Cooper, Jack Black and the Muppets. Directed by James Bobin. 103 minutes. G

By Isa Montagnese


Dream cast: Gene Wilder. That's it.

Don't You Forget About: Best in Show

Sure, it's fun to catch the latest flick at the multiplex, or grab the newest release at a video store, but sometimes you just gotta say, "Out with the new, and in with the unknown." There are plenty of older flicks out there that are worth a rental, but never registered on your radar. In Don't You Forget About, we remember the long-gone gems, so you don't have to.

BEST IN SHOW

WHAT it's about: The top dogs (and their perfect pups!) at a nationally-recognized dog show. Directed and written by Christopher Guest, this mockumentary takes the piss out of every stereotypical pet owner you've ever known, not to mention the dead seriousness of these competitions.

WHO'S in it: All Guest's usual guests, including co-writer Eugune Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey and Michael McKean. Plus, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge amd John Michael Higgins.

WHEN it came out: 2000

HOW come you haven't heard of (or just seen) it:  Like the majority of Guest's straight-faced resume (Waiting for Guffman, For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind), this film tickles a specific set of funny bones and could be too dry for some people to handle.

WHY you need to watch it--immediately!

• Did you read the cast list? I mean, come on!
• There is a storyline which involves the creation of a faux dog magazine entitled American Bitch.
• One character may have two left feet. Literally.
• The dogs, for the most part, are adorable. And occasionally, their owners are too. But only because they've got that Fido-esque accidentally identical thing going on. 
• If you have, or have ever had a dog, you will find some of the pet owner idiosyncrasies presented HILARIOUS.  See: one scene in which Parker Posey's character breathlessly searches for an identical bee chew toy at a pet store to no avail. (The dog, of course, doesn't really care.)
• Fred Willard plays the best aging play-by-play artiste in the world.
• Mockumentaries are like so hot right now! On TV anyways...
• Stifler's mom and Sue Sylvester play partners...in more ways than one!
• If you're traveling on Air Canada, apparently it's now offered as an entertainment option on flights! (That's where I rewatched it a week or so back!)

Home Theatre Tuesday (April 10, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Buy it now: The Iron Lady

The story of a strong, unrelenting woman who defied norms mixed with a sad reality that everyone must one day face, even if you are the only woman to date to be Prime Minster of Britain. Beautifully written and tremendously acted, it's both motivating and heartbreaking. Meryl Streep's win at the Oscars was more than deserved (but it would have been for any of five stellar nominees this year).

DVD: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I read this book a really long time ago. Almost seven years ago. I intended to get Jonathan Safran Foer's other book, Everything is Illuminated, which was also being made into a movie later that year, but when I flipped through Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I had to get it. It was so much more than text on paper. There were photographs, sketches, red pen copy-edited pages, text with kerning running tighter and tighter into black masses. It was so interesting. Unfortunately, the story wasn't so much, but all of its visual creativity made up for it.

When this movie came out late last year, I really didn't care to see it. Of course, it couldn't retain the same innovation of its print form, but there's always room for innovation in direction. But I wasn't counting on it. And I'm glad I didn't, because for the most part, this movie was pretty flat.

Oskar (Thomas Horn) was really close with his dad (Tom Hanks). In the socially-awkward kid's eyes, they were best buds. They had inside jokes, they riddled each other with intellectual puzzles and no one else quite got Oskar like his dad did. So, when his dad dies in the September 11 attacks, Oskar is heartbroken, as anyone would be, and withdraws even further from the world. That's until he finds a key in his dad's closet one day and feels compelled to find out what it opens. His dad must have left it there for him, he thinks, it's another puzzle for him to figure out. So he takes to the city alone, at first, to figure it out.

It's not a terrible story. It's heartfelt and sweet at times, but it's way too slow and repetitive. For two hours, you follow this kid on his search that continues to lead nowhere. He does nearly the same thing everyday. Admittedly, it is more of an emotional coming of age story, and that train progresses, but a little more tension or novelty would have been nice.

What pulls this film through is its tremendous acting, particularly on the parts of Max von Sydow as the renter living with Oskar's grandmother and Sandra Bullock as Oskar's mom. As I've said before, Bullock was snubbed during this year's awards season. While at least Max von Sydow was nominated for an Oscar, Bullock saw nil. Fuelling this outrage was the fact that she won Best Actress two years ago for a performance that was just whatever. In this movie, she was so moving, so emotionally connecting, so convincing. I was completely blown away. What did they not see?!

If there's one basis I can recommend this film on, it's to see Bullock give a truly memorable and award-worthy performance. Otherwise, there's not much else here. B-

Starring Tom Hanks, Thomas Horn, Max von Sydow and Sandra Bullock. Directed by Stephen Daldry. 129 minutes. PG

Terribly Awesome!: Leprechaun

Cinefilles, it's time for a camp-out! And no, we ain't talkin' s'mores, sing-a-longs and psycho killers. (Although, they may very well make questionable individual appearances.) We're talking about getting in touch with your guilty pleasure zone. So join us as Emily (our resident camp connoisseur) leads you through one of the best of the worst movies of all-time. It's gonna be awesome—and terrible!—all at the same time.

St. Patrick's Day: Lucky for some, fatally unlucky for others.

Some might consider that first group to be those who near-empty their pockets o' gold buying thirteen pints of green beer, hoping to charm the pants off some cute, willing ginger lad/lass. I say the real winners are those that spend the day wearing emerald PJs, eating Lucky Charms and watching classic Irish culture films like that 2010 Amy Adams masterwork, Leap Year, the Disney Channel Original Movie The Luck of the Irish and any and or every movie in the Leprechaun series.

Honestly, any of the Leprechaun films would have worked perfect for this column (see, specifically: Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood). But I thought I'd start with the cinematic four leaf clover that started it all.  Especially since ... there's a remake in the works?!

Can you say, "MAGICALLY DELICIOUS"? 

Home Theatre Tuesday (Mar. 13, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Buy it now: Young Adult

Last time Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody teamed up, for the dividing 2007 Sunny D-elight Juno, they introduced us to a hipster girl (Ellen Page) who was pushed into early adulthood after being knocked up by her gawkward track team BFF (Michael Cera). Now, with the Cody-penned, Reitman-directed Young Adult, the dynamic duo are telling the opposite story, one that's not being retold repeatedly via MTV reality shows, but is not all that uncommon either. Here, lies the tale of an modern day, Marc Jacobs-wearing J.M. Barrie character, a selfish thirtysomething woman who refuses to grow up.

Read the rest of Emily's review.

Also buy: My Week with Marilyn

Let’s start with the obvious: Michelle Williams looks very little like Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn was a bombshell: glamourous, voluptuous, with an hourglass figure (although reports she wore a size 16 dress have been somewhat overstated), and a delicate, heart-shaped face. Michelle Williams is a waif: cute rather than gorgeous, stick-thin (the padding Williams wore holds no candle to Marilyn’s curves), with a full-cheeked round face. Physically speaking, the only thing the two women really seem to have in common is their blonde hair.

Luckily, Michelle Williams is extremely talented.

Read the rest of Jennifer's review.

Don't even rent: The Descendants

The Descendants has everything going for it: a famous leading man (Clooney), an acclaimed writer and director (Payne) and a beautiful setting (Hawaii). But somehow, all of these great things combined make for a very unimpressive film.

Read the rest of Regan's review.

DVD Review: Jack and Jill

Directed by Dennis Dugan. Starring Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, Al Pacino and Nick Swardson. 91 minutes. PG

I get that so many people hate on this movie. I do. It's a ridiculous premise. It's totally nonsensical, flat out stupid even at times. But I think it's hilarious.

This entire movie is a joke, and a very funny one at that. Adam Sandler plays Jack, an average family guy, who's dreading his twin sister's (also Sandler) Thanksgiving visit. She's annoying, loud, judgemental and an utter airhead. But she gets Al Pacino to fall in love with her. (Cue the drums: ba-dum-tsh!) If you don't get it, you won't get it.

For those of us Sandler fans, this is Sandler comedy to the extreme. It's not supposed to be believable, it's not supposed to be logical. You laugh at stupidity, you laugh at funny sounds and you laugh at slapstick. And as usual, Sandler comes with his famous friends in tow: Dana Carvey, David Spade (also hilarious as a woman), Rob Schneider, Norm MacDonald and the whole Happy Madison roster. Plus cameos from Johnny Depp, Regis Philbin and Shaq (along with Spade, another highlight of the movie).

I'm not going to give you a rundown of the jokes, because truthfully, I don't remember them. It happens sometimes with Sandler movies. The jokes happen, you laugh, you move on. (But of course, the better ones live on, like those in Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds and yes, even You Don't Mess with the Zohan.) There's not a whole lot to say about this movie (even Wikipedia slacks on the synopsis with just one sentence), except maybe "Why's Katie Holmes here?" A-

DVD Review: Hugo

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Christopher Lee and Emily Mortimer. 126 minutes. PG

For a while, I didn't really know what Hugo was about. I knew it was a Scorsese movie, I was pretty sure it was kid-friendly and I kept hearing praise about its visuals. But when I heard that it was a movie about movies, I had to see it.

The eponymously-titled Hugo follows the story of a young orphan boy and his journey to finding a purpose. Set in Paris, Hugo (Asa Butterfield) is sent to live with his uncle after this father dies. His alcoholic uncle, who works fixing clocks in a train station, pulls Hugo out of school and sends him to work, also fixing clocks. While working full-time, Hugo's also continuing a project he'd begun with his father before he died, fixing an old, broken automaton, a robot of sorts. It's almost working, save for a heart-shaped key he needs to get it started. Hugo eventually runs into trouble with Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley) who works in a toyshop in the station and befriends his goddaughter Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz), who joins him in uncovering a mystery greater than he ever expected. This movie is one of the most charming I've seen all year (actually, only in competition with the other France-set blockbusters of the year: Midnight in Paris and The Artist).

There's no way to talk about this movie without mentioning its stunning visuals. It's got a seamless, surreal blend of CGI and live action. Costumes are pay homage to their era though are still interestingly anachronistic. The sets are finely detailed and gorgeous to look at. It's just a beautiful movie. Even the peculiar films within the movie are fun to look at, reminiscent of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, though this time done right.

The cast is perfect. Butterfield and Moretz are sweet, naive and innocent. The ageless Kingsley (can you believe Gandhi was 30 years ago?!) is more than convincing, whether playing the grumpy, old toyshop owner or his young self, the excited, exuberant filmmaker. However, the most surprising performance comes from Sacha Baron Cohen as the stern station inspector always on Hugo's tail for loitering around. I'm a big Cohen fan and I think that he's brilliant, so it's even more impressive to see him a role that doesn't require him to be one of his absurd politcally-challenging characters and still be funny and captivating.

If I haven't sold you yet, let me just say one more thing: cute dogs. As if Uggie in The Artist and Arthur in Beginners weren't doggy cuteness overload, there are several more in this film. Seriously, the two that become friends in the station, so cute.

Believe me, none of what I'm saying is because of Hugo's Oscars sweep. I saw this movie and I fell in love. It's just so magical. A+

Home Theatre Tuesday (Feb. 21)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Don't rent: J. Edgar

For a film about a man that tightly controlled his message, J. Edgar doesn’t really know what it’s trying to say.

Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial effort has us travelling back and forth through the life of J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio), the controversial and mysterious former director of the FBI. The film spans 50 years, following his rise from a twenty-something Justice Department employee obsessed with Bolsheviks and bomb-loving radicals to his fastidious creation and dictatorship of the Bureau.

Read the rest of Jelena's review.

Don't even rent: Tower Heist

Despite an all-star cast of Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña and Gabourey Sidibe, this "comedy" (if you can call it that) completely failed to deliver. It came with way too much hype that it couldn't live up to, flaunting its big names and promising to be hilarious. (Sound familiar? Cough--Rush Hour 3--cough. Sorry, Ratner.)

Home Theatre Weekend (February 10 - 12, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so
you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Photo: amazon.ca

Rent it: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1

Like the first half of the book it's based on, Breaking Dawn, Part 1 doesn't totally suck. It's what every 17-year-old looking vampire should be: fun, sexy and from the right angle, drop dead gorgeous. Even those who don't own a Team Edward or Jacob baby tee may find themselves harbouring a Twi-hard-on by the badass end credits (seriously, they're really cool) of this easily entertaining film, arguably the best in supernaturally popular teen series.

Read the rest of Emily's review.

Home Theatre Tuesday (Jan. 31, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Photo: amazon.ca

Buy it now: Drive

Three quarters of the way through Drive, Ryan Gosling's character, a stunt driver who doubles as a late-night criminal chauffeur, takes Carey Mulligan into a elevator and kisses her with reckless, slow-mo abandon as a overwrought romantic soundtrack thumps. Then, suddenly, he turns towards the other guest in the elevator and bashes the dude's head in with his feet. It's a morbidly gorgeous scene and a spot-on summary of Nicolas Windling Refn's way-cool ode to dimly-lit '80s action thrillers.

Read the rest of Emily's review.

Rent it: The Thing

Back in October, the Filles went to see this prequel to the '80s Kurt Russell-starring sci-fi horror film of the same name. The next day, we did a live blog about the experience, discussing the distractingly off-the-mark special effects, the nods to its classic predecessor and our favourite part - the film's driving force: self-sufficient, scream-free survivor girl, Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

Read the Filles' live blog.

DVD: Paranormal Activity 3

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Starring Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Christopher Nicolas Smith and Lauren Bittner. 84 minutes. 14A

Full disclosure: I haven't seen Paranormal Activity 2. But truth be told, I don't want to, especially after our own Emily tore it apart. I did see the first one, though I didn't get the hype. But when buzz started going around that the third instalment was the scariest of all, that the series was finally taking horror seriously (and under yet again new direction), I made it a point to watch. And the hype wasn't too far off.

Paranormal Activity 3 is the prequel to the series original. Remember in the first one when Katie said she'd been haunted since she was a kid? This is that story. The movie follows young Katie (Chloe Csengery) and her younger sister Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) and their naive descent into paranormal insanity, their mother's boyfriend (Christopher Nicolas Smith) documenting it all.

While the story does attempt to provide answers to some of the questions created by the original, it doesn't answer some of the most critical questions. However, despite a new writer and directors (yet again), the story does stick fairly close to the original, while bringing a still somewhat-fresh take on the paranormal horror genre. In short, it pays homage to the first, though is even scarier.

What's most impressing about this movie is its two young leads, out-acting their parental counterparts, particularly on the part of Brown, who is reminiscent of Abigail Breslin in Signs. She's got the little round face, curious eyes and scraggly long hair, but more than that, she completely convinces you that her character is actually exactly who she is. Here's hoping she can find the trajectory that Breslin did.

It's a good scare with a few jumps and some eye-shielding moments (like when a slowly-panning camera seems to take forever to get to the other side of the room). If you haven't seen the second film yet, like me, don't bother. It doesn't matter. Just watch the good ones. B+

Home Theatre Tuesday (Jan. 24, 2012)

 Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

 Photo: amazon.ca

Buy it now: 50/50

Joseph Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogen star in this truly touching, based-on-true-events tale of a young man diagnosed with terminal cancer. The script, written by cancer survivor and Rogen BFF Will Reiser, is not the usual melodramatic (and thus, wholly insincere) drivel that one might easily associate such a story. It's refreshingly raw, making you cry with laughter just as much as it does with sadness.  No wonder it made Emily's Top 10 of 2011.

Rent it: Restless

Restless is the super sappy love story attempt by director Gus Van Sant and starring Henry Hopper (Dennis Hopper's son) and Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre). Though there is the ever-constant teenage "the world is ending" attitude to the film, I didn't feel it overpowered the undercurrent of new love and fun hats. He really let the two youngens try and work out their weird story on their own, similar to his style in Elephant.

Read the rest of Isa Montagnese's review.

Also out: Real Steel

A down-and-out boxer (played by Wolverine) coaches a misfit robot in combat. As he helps the robot KO his competitors in an underground, machine-based fight club, the dude also works to rebuild his relationship with his estranged son. Sounds like Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots the Movie. But with more crying.

Home Theatre Tuesday (Jan. 17, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Must buy: The Ides of March

Although this George Clooney-directed pulsing drama didn't pick anything up at this weekend's Golden Globes, with the Oscars nearing, there's still hope. And fear not if politics aren't your strong suit, it's not really about that. It's more about the pieces that make up a person and how far someone will go to stay true to who he is. It's poetically written, captivatingly shot and brilliantly acted by 2011's favourite lead actor Ryan Gosling.

Also out: Abduction

Taylor Lautner proves he's more than just a werewolf named Jacob in this action-filled, non-stop chase. Of course, not without a few genre clichés, but overall, a nice surprise and good rental pick.

Home Theatre Tuesday (Jan. 10, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Must buy: Moneyball

Baseball could not be more boring in my mind. Baseball movies, however, are a whole other ball game.

A League of Their Own. Bull Durham. Field of Dreams. Damn Yankees. The Sandlot. The Rookie. Fever Pitch. (Okay, maybe that one’s just Jimmy Fallon-fawning me.) The most long-winded, slow-paced nationally-played sport has inspired some serious cinematic catches. Some of them are straight-up great films, with great scripts to run home on. And others are simply exciting because they cut the actual game down to barely-quarter inning stretches to make it seem exciting. Moneyball is a bit of both.

Read the rest of Emily's review here.

Don't even rent: What's Your Number

I know, we should have seen it coming. It looked like an un-funny female take on Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and it was. But let's just blame it on the fact that we're fans of all other "terrible awesome" Anna Faris comedies (ie. The House Bunny, The Hot Chick).

Also out: Paranormal Activity 3

Hailed as the redeemer of Paranormal Activity 2, the third instalment to the series is actually a prequel to the first, and supposedly brings back the scares we loved from the original. Remember when Katie talked about the demon following her since she was a kid? This is that story.

Home Theatre Tuesday (Dec. 13, 2011)

 Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Buy it now: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

If I had to judge this film prior to seeing it based on its title alone, I probably wouldn't see it. Talking apes waging war on humanity? Monkeys are cute but that's just not appealing. But after seeing this trailer, there was something deeper to it, something sinister and uncanny. And it didn't disappoint. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is like Deep Blue Sea with chimps.

Read the rest of Michelle's review.

Don't You Forget About: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

 

Photo: impaawards.com

DON'T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER'S DEAD  

WHAT it's about: A group of siblings who have the summer of their lives after the retched old babysitter their Australia-bound mom left in charge suddenly bites the dust. Instead of calling the hospital or their mother, they stuff the woman in a trunk and drop her on the doorstep of a local funeral home, leaving them to their own, adult-free devices. 

WHO'S in it: Christina Applegate, Danielle Harris, Josh Charles and a then-unknown David Duchovny.   

WHEN it came out: 1991  

HOW come you haven't heard of (or just seen) it:  It got some really bratty reviews, leaving it with a Rotten Tomatoes ratting of 33 % and a just over $25,000 box-office gross. And the name doesn't do it any favours. At least with certain mainstream audiences. (I was all over it when I saw it in my print copy of TV Guide way back when.) 

WHY you need to watch it--immediately!: