I'm an avid watcher of films and I just love discussing and sharing them with the world. I enjoy horror, sci-fi and mostly any genre under the sun, plus I have a slight obsession with Blu-ray's and the whole high definition craze.
Because of Rudd's full commitment to the character, Our Idiot Brother is a charming family comedy that has equal measures of care and laughter. Rudd brings a perfect balance of sweet and wacky to the main character and the rest of the cast fits in perfectly.
Warner Brothers has announced Steven Soderbergh's viral pandemic film Contagion for Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray/DVD/UltraViolet combo pack on January 3rd, 2012. The film includes an all-star cast of Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Bryan Cranston, John Hawkes, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Universal Studios has announced Dream House for DVD and Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy on January 31st, 2012. The film, which stars Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts, was a box office bomb this past September when it opened with an unimpressive $8 million dollars on a $50 million dollar budget. The film was not only a disaster with audiences and general critics, but its very own director Jim Sheridan tried getting his name off of the production because of how the studio handled the editing.
Friends with Benefits is the best kind of romantic comedy. It has some really entertaining jokes for the guys, enough romance for the girls and a small amount of drama to please both crowds.
Another Earth is a passion project by director, co-producer and co-writer Mike Cahill, who teamed up with his leading star Brit Marling, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. It was shot on a micro budget and it certainly shows. It breaks the mold in terms of independent sci-fi because of how it chooses to focus on human emotion with science becoming a backdrop for the entire story. It's slow and often times a little too heavy, but Brit Marling's performance, which is deep and rooted in regret, helps give the film a unique shape and Cahill's amateurish directing style helps give it an out of the ordinary visual flare.
The Art of Getting By is a pretty good first impression from newcomer director Gavin Wiesen. He's crafted another one of those independent, kind of formulaic off-beat romantic coming-of-age stories. The package mentions it being from the studio that brought you Juno and (500) Days of Summer, but truth be told it's more like the recent romantic drama Like Crazy. It's not as dramatic or depressing, but it's more focused on the complicated characters and their troubled connections with each other. It substitutes the heavy drama for a more light approach that works as an afternoon rental, but not as a strong theatrical experience.
Universal Studios will be releasing The Thing (2011) next year on Blu-Ray. The prequel/remake was directed by Matthijs Van Heijningen and was released theatrically in October. It failed to do much damage at the box office and most reviews were lukewarm.
It's no surprise that Conan the Barbarian (2011) is a dull and lifeless picture. Director Marcus Nispel is known for taking popular films and remaking them with little spirit. He's a gun for hire and his latest reboot is full of bloody violence, a digestible story and paper thin characters. Conan only works because of leading star Jason Momoa, who gives it his all despite the poor efforts by the rest of the cast and lack of direction by Nispel. It's not an over-the-top violent romp of a film that can be enjoyed with popcorn and it's not a good quality film with a gripping tale to be told. Conan the Barbarian (2011) is a pointless reboot that breaks no barriers and offers nothing new.
WWE comes slamming to consoles this year with a new name, new modes and a redesign of the core fighting mechanics. Smackdown! vs. Raw is gone and WWE '12 is here and with the new name comes a new assuring promise at providing you with the best wrestling experience ever in the comfort of your own home. WWE '12 for the most part lives up to that promise, with only a few hiccups along the way keeping it from reaching perfect status. It's not Here Comes the Pain (one of the most highly reviewed WWE games yet), but it's one of the better efforts in recent years and it's certainly an indication of THQ being on the right track to reaching Here Comes the Pain's high praise.
You know you're in for trouble when your movie is advertised as a film from the writers of The Hangover and the director of Wedding Crashers. The Change-Up isn't really either of those films though. It never crosses into completely nutty territory like The Hangover films and it's not clever enough to be called another Wedding Crashers. It's really its own film that mainly works because of the chemistry between the two leads and the never ending amount of raunchy and filthy humor that keeps the film quick and painless.