How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
January 20, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who jumped on the vampire bandwagon later than CBS would have liked: Moonlight: The Complete Series
Had Moonlight not been on CBS, and had the series began its network run during the current broadcast television season and not the year prior, I'd be willing to bet Moonlight would still be going strong...instead of "celebrating" its May cancellation with a complete series DVD.
Think about it. No ardent supporters of the generic, police procedural garbage that CBS puts out daily are going to lend a lick of their attention to a show featuring a near century old vampire with the face of a 30-year-old. And as we learned in book sales (1.3 million Breaking Dawn's moved in a single day), box office numbers (Twilight's $69.6 million opening weekend) and TV ratings (True Blood's 6+ million viewers per week), 2008 is the year of the vampire...not 2007.
The short-lived series, which lasted for just one, truncated 16-episode season, follows private investigator Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin), who was turned into a vampire five decades ago by his bride, Coraline (Shannyn Sossaman), on their wedding night. Unlike other vampires, Mick follows a set of rules, meaning he protects women, children and innocent people (instead of eating them). Set in the present day, Mick struggles with his attraction to a mortal woman (Sophia Myles) while dealing with the many vampire baddies in Los Angeles.
Disc includes: Audio commentary
For people who enjoy watching gorgeous people die slow, yet painful deaths: Saw V (Unrated)
If the last few Saws have taught us anything at all (and believe me, they haven't taught us a whole lot), it's that there's at least a roof (monetarily speaking) covering this utterly awful franchise. The box office returns are decreasing, by a relatively significant number of millions each October, that sooner or later Lionsgate will possibly, maybe, hope to god at least ponder the thought of bringing the venerable franchise to a close. (Though with these movies' moderately low budgets, we'll be on to Saw XX or so before any discussion of the canceling nature comes to fruition). Hey, a dude can dream.
Tobin Bell's signature character, Jigsaw, has been dead for awhile now, yet the actor still manages to get a mention in the credits (thank you, flashbacks). So he's hanging around. Also still happening: Young, pretty people manage to trap themselves in unfortunate circumstances, video and cassette tapes pass around and Billy the puppet rides circles around Jigsaw's victims. Essentially, not much has changed if you've at any time stopped wasting your money on the king of Hollywood torture porn.
And yes. For the curious, Lionsgate already greenlit Saw VI. Expect to see it later this year in October.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, The Pendulum Trap featurette, The Cube Trap featurette, The Coffin Trap featurette, The Fatal Five featurette, Slice the Cube: Editing the Cube Trap featurette
For people who need to say hi to their mothers for Mark Wahlberg: Max Payne (Special Edition)
Video game adaptations typically have kick ass trailers, but sometimes the flashy previews don't really say a whole lot about the finished product. Max Payne is a textbook example of this. I freakin' loved the trailer – I gave it an A in an August edition of Trailer Hitch – yet hated just about everything about the actual movie. And most critics would agree: over 80% of 'em didn't like the movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Based on the BAFTA-winning third-person video game of the same name, Max Payne follows Mark Wahlberg in the title role, playing a cop investigating the deaths of his wife and child. His redemptive journey takes him through the criminal underworld of New York City.
No word yet on Fox's desire to build a movie franchise with the character. Already a sequel game has been released, and Max Payne 3 has been hinted at. I'd imagine Mark Wahlberg would be available for Max Payne 2, though there's a chance he's still talking to his farm animals.
Disc includes: Theatrical and unrated extended cut of the film, audio commentary, Picture Documentary featurette, Michelle Payne graphic novel, digital copy of the film
For people who didn't know Syracuse used to win football games: The Express
Remember when Syracuse was good in football? Yeah, I don't either. I wasted way too many Saturday afternoons over the past few years at the Carrier Dome, watching my Orange (still the Orangemen in my book) regularly getting stomped on by Big East competish. But if you go back a good number of years (way before Donovan McNabb's tenure)...back to the 1960s in fact, that's when you'll find the Floyd Littles and Jim Browns – and in the context of Universal's The Express – the Ernie Davises scurrying across the Syracuse gridiron. Those were the days, baby.
To commemorate the era (and help those forget what's happened to the program since Greg Robinson took over as head coach in 2005), Universal released the story of Ernie Davis – titled The Express – in theaters on October 10th. The movie explores the life of the infamous Syracuse football player, beginning with his pre-college days and ending with his Heisman Trophy win (effectively becoming the first African American to take home the prized, college football hardware).
Disc includes: Deleted scenes, Making of The Express featurette, Making History: The Story of Ernie Davis featurette, Inside the Playbook: Shooting the Football Games featurette, From Hollywood to Syracuse: The Legacy of Ernie Davis, audio commentary
For people who wouldn't mind having Luke Wilson as their neighbor: Henry Poole is Here
Luke Wilson had a quiet 2008. This limited-release comic drama marked the 37-year-old's sole movie in the entire year. Considering the economy, I bet he would have worked a little more last year if he could do it over again. The title earned just $1.8 million in the States (against a budget of about $3.5 million).
Henry Poole is Here stars Luke Wilson as a disillusioned man whose future seems bright...until a visit to the doctor's proves he may be living on his last legs. Wanting nothing more than to assume an isolated lifestyle, Henry purchases a cookie-cutter house in a working-class suburb. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) for Henry, his new neighbors take it upon themselves to not let the man spend his remaining time at peace.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, The Making of Henry Poole is Here featurette, "All Roads Lead Home" music video
January 20th, 2009
009 1: Collector's Box (Boxed Set
The 18-Year-Old Virgin
Amusement
Biography: Barack Obama (Special Edition)
Center Stage: Turn It Up (Widescreen)
Chris Rock: Kill The Messenger (Special Edition)
City of Ember
Criss Angel Mindfreak: The Complete Season Four
The Deal
Death Note II: The Last Name
El Norte (Criterion Collection)
George Wallace (Special Edition)
Igor
The Kinks: Beat Beat Beat
The Last Detective: Complete Collection (Collector's Edition)
Magnificent Obsession (Criterion Collection)
MI-5: Volume 6 (Widescreen)
My Three Sons: The Complete First Season
My Three Sons: The First Season, Volume 2
National Lampoon's Stoned Age
The Notebook (Limited Edition)
Our Planet Earth (Collectible Tin Box)
President Barack Obama: The Man & His Journey (Collector's Edition)
Repo! The Genetic Opera
The Rockford Files: Season Six, The Final Season
Three Stooges: Collectors Edition (Collectible Tin Box)
Vacancy 2: The First Cut
The Yardbirds: Beat Beat Beat