How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
February 9, 2010
Disc includes: Gag reel, audio commentary, Open Hours: Making Of featurette, Visualizing the Stunts featurette, MovieIQ
For people who can't get over how tall Vince Vaughn is: Couples Retreat
Beyond stellar casting, the allure of Couples Retreat is troubling. How this one managed more than $100 million at the domestic box office is anyone's guess. A friend of mine made the hilarious comment back when this thing opened big - a $34.2 million opening weekend! – that people like to watch Vince Vaughn talk fast. It certainly worked for movies like Four Christmases, whose comedy is on the spottier side and is, in fact, pretty forgettable. And yet that little ditty did even better than Couples Retreat, accumulating $120 million in domestic receipts.
Couples Retreat has the aforementioned Vaughn, along with Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau and others trekking to a tropical locale. Once on the island, the friends realize that Bateman and Bell, who are close to divorce, aren't the only ones participating in couples therapy. They all are.
One positive thing I will add, however, is the sensational A.R. Rahman did Couples Retreat's soundtrack. Rahman, as you may recall, was the genius behind Slumdog Millionaire's soundtrack. He likely had the time of his life in February 2009 when "Jai Ho" won Best Original Song and the film won Best Original Score at the Oscars. For Couples Retreat, Rahman's jams aren't as manic as they were for Slumdog. Couples Retreat's are slower and, as expected, more island-y.
Disc includes: Alternate ending, deleted/extended scenes with commentary, gag reel, Therapy's Greatest Hits featurette, Paradise Found: Filming in Bora Bora featurette, Behind the Yoga featurette, audio commentary
For people who are a sucker for songs by Carolian Liar: The Time Traveler's Wife
Rounding out the week is The Time Traveler's Wife, a chick flick that did profitable business for New Line when it was released in August. At $18.6 million over three days, it opened way behind District 9 and a few million shy of G.I. Joe's second weekend, good enough for third place. When all was said and done, it ended its run $24 million higher than its reported $39 million budget.
Based on a 2003 novel of the same name, The Time Traveler's Wife was a no-go from me from the get-go. I find it hard to stand Eric Bana in the first place (though I'll admit he was tolerable in Funny People). The fact that The Time Traveler's Wife isn't just an Eric Bana movie, but rather an Eric Bana movie where he, as the title suggests, time travels, kept this one securely off my must-see list.
Disc includes: An Unconventional Love Story featurette, The Time Traveler's Wife: Love Beyond Words
February 9, 2010
Blu-ray Bad Company: Hard Rock Live Bronson Couples Retreat Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic Dare Drop Zone Hard Rain I Hate Valentine's Day Neil Diamond: Hot August Night NYC Nova: Becoming Human The Phantom Pretenders: Live in London The Running Man A Serious Man Serious Moonlight SG-U Stargate Universe: 1.0 The Stepfather The Time Traveler's Wife XIII: The Conspiracy
DVD Army Wives: The Complete Third Season (Widescreen) Bad Company: Hard Rock Live Bronson Coach: Seasons 1 & 2 (Back-To-Back) Coldplay: Up Close & Personal Couples Retreat Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic Dare Doors: From the Outside Unauthorized Emma (Widescreen) Free Style (Widescreen) Gary Unmarried: The Complete First Season I Hate Valentine's Day Jag: The Complete Series (Set) JAG: The Final Season Madonna: Do You Think I'm Sexy? Neil Diamond: Hot August Night NYC Nova: Becoming Human Penguins of Madagascar, Operation: DVD Premiere People Speak (Special Edition) Pride and Prejudice (Collector's Edition) The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 2 Volume 2 A Serious Man Serious Moonlight SG-U Stargate Universe: 1.0 The Stepfather The Time Traveler's Wife Vega$: The Complete First Season Vega$: The First Season, Volume 2
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