The Consumer’s Corner

Ah the American Pie films, what used to be the finest theatrical comedy release franchise has now moved to the surprisingly lucrative straight to DVD business. The last time you may have heard from the gang was in the third installment American Wedding. Well since then the original cast has moved onto smaller and worse things, except Alyson Hannigan I love her! Instead of focusing on the loveable Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) like the first three films did, these much smaller productions follow the shenanigans of the infamous party loving Stifler family, brought to life by Steve Stifler (Sean William Scott) in the classic original film.

When I first heard the franchise was moving to straight to DVD releases I thought (as many of you probably did/do) “oh no, why?” But being a fan of the franchise I decided to rent the first addition American Pie presents Band Camp and since I expected the worst I was pleasantly surprised. I actually think it would have done well as a theatrical release. It had a solid plot, gripping characters, the usual American Pie laughs and a certain charm to it which is a lot more than your ordinary DVD release.

The second new installment, American Pie presents The Naked Mile introduced us to a whole new batch of Stiflers. Even though they are cousins of the legendary Steve, the Stifler tradition is alive in these characters as well. But with less familiar faces and a much weaker plot and screenplay The Naked Mile failed in its task. Even those who rented it just for the word “naked” in the title (and I’m sure there were many of you) were probably disappointed as the nudity level was surprisingly low.

Which brings us to the third and latest version of the American Pie universe, American Pie presents Beta House. Again a straight to DVD release, this movie brings back the characters from the previous movie with a few good additions to give it a more familiar feel and it worked. This movie is ten times better than The Naked Mile with more gross out humor and much, much, much more nudity.

Last time we saw Erik Stifler (John White) was when he was touring colleges in The Naked Mile, well surprise! He chose the one that his cousin, Dwight Stifler (Steve Talley) goes to. Being a Beta is a Stifler family tradition and honor. In Beta House we see Erik and his buddies pledging the fraternity by doing many demeaning and sexual tasks. But all is not fun and games in the Beta house. It seems that another fraternity is confronting the Beta’s for campus dominance. This fraternity is made up of the extremely smart and rich which is why their fraternity name is GEEK. The GEEK’s are tired of the Beta’s obnoxiousness and vow to get them disbarred and how do they do that? By challenging them to an old custom of scandalous and disturbing games, sound familiar? The whole movie is basically Revenge of the Nerds (1984) in reverse.

While there are numerous similarities to Revenge of the Nerds, Beta House does not have the appeal or charisma that the earlier film has. But that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a film worth seeing. It does have plenty of laughs that are for a certain audience. If you find nudity, sexual humor, bodily fluids and basically anything sexual you can think of offensive, this is NOT a movie for you. But if you’re on the other side of that fence this movie will be much more delightful than its predecessor The Naked Mile. Beta House has a decent although sometimes unbelievable screenplay that will have young adults “aroused” and laughing.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

american pie, american pie beta house, dvd, straight to dvd

Seen any good horror movies recently? The horror genre has been severely diluted the past ten years. Now they are made for 14 year old high school kids because that’s where the money is. It doesn’t matter how terrible the film is, if it’s classified as horror kids will come and yes, there will be sequels. Just look at movies like The Grudge (2004), White Noise (2005), Stay Alive (2006) and many more, these so called horror films are no more than mindless, gore-less killing. All these films are PG-13 which tells you the horror genre is on life support for adults. Really about one comes out every 3-5 years that’s worth seeing and luckily we don’t have to wait long. 30 Days of Night is a real horror movie that is, well . . . horrifying.

Based on the graphic novels with the same title, 30 Days of Night takes place in a small Alaskan town that sees the sun set for thirty days. After the darkness comes, so does the killing. Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) doesn’t know what’s plaguing his town until he’s confronted by a very smart, well organized gang of vampires. Oleson has to try to keep his remaining neighbors safe until sunrise.

What makes a horror movie scary? It is the threat. These vampires will haunt you. Their look is well done and their brutality is even better. Their demeanor is that of an insane serial killer that torments its prey before the kill. After being attacked a woman calls out for God and the vampire doesn’t flinch. It simply whispers, “God? No God.” Whew, if that doesn’t make you shiver what will? These animals seem to communicate through shrill screams that will penetrate your nightmares. The threat in this film will send chills throughout your body.

The plot of 30 Days of Night is very intriguing. What do you do when you can’t stop a group of vampires? Escape? They thought of that. This is a well thought out story that is truly monstrous. The vampires stalk their prey with great precision and it is terrorizing. This is one horror movie that doesn’t disappoint with its gore. The way these creatures kill is blood curdling and they kill . . . a lot. At one point I thought the director was going to show every man, woman and child in the town being slaughtered. The movie does run a little long because of this, but the ending is very poetic. Finally a scary movie for adults! If you’re a fan of horror, this is most definitely worth a rent, if not a buy. Is it a great movie? For its genre, absolutely.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

30 days of night, dvd, movies, vampires, horror, film, josh hartnett

Ridley Scott, director of such works of genius as Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (hey I liked it) (1985), Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001) and the list goes on, brings his latest masterpiece to DVD American Gangster. American Gangster is skillfully done with every shot. The very first shot we see is of Frank Lucas, played by “my man” (it’s a movie reference not a homosexual undertone) Denzel Washington, burning a man alive until he falls over then finishes him off with two bullets. This does so much for character development. In those opening two minutes of film we already see and know that Lucas is not a man to be messed with and that he is ruthless. He will do anything and everything he has to do to get ahead in the business. Every single shot in this movie has purpose and that is a great achievement by the director.

The very well driven plot revolves around two men rising to power in 1970’s Harlem, Frank Lucas and Det. Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). After his long time mentor passes away Lucas takes over the business of “taking care of” Harlem. But what’s different about Lucas is his intelligence. He doesn’t do things the normal way. He thinks what many of us do, how can I cut out the middle guy. But he not only thinks it, he does it. Lucas finds away to buy and ship in pure Heroin by himself in a way that’s pure genius. And with his stuff so pure and so cheap, he quickly corners the market in drug sales in all of New York.

In a very crooked time in America’s police forces, Det. Richie Roberts is one of the few legitimate cops left on the street. After proving himself by turning in one million dollars in unmarked bills, Roberts is chosen to head up New York’s first narcotics division of the force. And so begins the battle of cat and mouse. What happens when their paths cross? Will Lucas escape the clutches of Roberts?

This is story telling at its best. Ridley Scott takes a true story and turns it into cinema gold. There are many subplots that will have the audience attached to these characters and something incredible may happen, Washington plays the role so well that some may end up cheering for the villain. It is an absolute delight to see two actors of such dynamic quality in the same picture as Crowe and Washington. While they don’t have many scenes together their presence on the screen is outstanding.

While taking place in the 70’s, it’s important to look at the sets and notice all the hard work that was put into them. Sets and location are one of the most underrated aspects of film these days and when something comes along that takes you back thirty five years you might want to look around and see history come to life. The sets are so vivid that the Academy gave American Gangster a nomination for Best Art Direction.

If you are a fan of gangster/mob movies or just a lover of all genres, American Gangster is a must see. The plot moves nicely and it may take more concentration than most films, but the reward is being enthralled for two and a half hours. It has been nominated for 21 awards including two Oscars. Rent this movie with confidence and enjoy.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

american gangster, denzel washington, russell crowe, ridley scott, dvd, movie, frank lucas

We Own the Night, written and directed by James Gray, is a very slow paced movie about two brothers that take different paths in their lives. Joseph (Mark Wahlberg) follows his father’s footsteps and joins the police force while Robert or “Bobby” (Joaquin Phoenix) takes the more rebellious path as he is a nightclub manager that sees and gets into his fair share of trouble. But everything changes for Bobby after a tragedy hits the family. James Gray must have watched many, many 70’s movies that tend to develop very slowly while making this film. It takes more than awhile to locate the main plot and with a quarter of the nation having ADD I’m not sure many will tolerate its pace which is flat out painful at times.

Not only is the pace bad in this movie, Gray does a mediocre job with his dialogue and direction. The beginning quarrel between brothers gets very childish at times. There was even a point in the move where Bobby called Joe’s wife fat, not at all in a comedic way and of course that’s the last straw and punches are thrown. While both Phoenix and Wahlberg are really good actors, even they couldn’t handle the forced dialogue that occurs throughout the movie with flare. There are many forced F-bombs that just seem out of place and uncomfortable. Gray fails at delivering a believable, well flowing screenplay.

Finally, the main character is not developed well. The audience needs to love, hate or at least care about the lead role and in We Own the Night, I did not. We see Phoenix as a punk club owner who disrespects his moral, upright family, uses drugs and is down right annoying at times. Then does a complete 180, quits drugs cold turkey, and forgets all of his friends after his family gets hurt. Bobby is not a character the audience will relate to or want to relate to. The only thing I liked about this character was Eva Mendes on his arm. This movie is not worth the four dollar rental fee. If you must see it, wait till it reaches HBO or Starz in a month or so and you’ll thank me later.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

we own the night, movies, dvd, mark wahlberg, joaquin phoenix

“It all started in a chair.” And from that chair comes a great, quirky comedy by director Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking). Juno tells the tale of Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), a high school girl who gets pregnant after sleeping with her best friend (in a chair). At just sixteen she worries that she isn’t ready for parenthood and weighs her options. Does she have an abortion, actually become a mother, or give the baby to a deserving, caring couple? Juno goes through many moral and physical trials that lead to hilarity and irresistibility. Juno is a story of people getting what they really want in life.

Juno is one of the best characters we’ve seen in cinema in quite a while. Even though she’s just sixteen years old, she has an old soul. She’s not afraid to tell like it is and she’ll do it to your face. She loves classic punk rock and old horror/gore movies. She is very lovable yet tough, curt and very sarcastic. Ellen Page plays the role to perfection and it really isn’t an easy character to portray. At times Juno can seem bipolar, but Page never lets the audience feel disassociated from her. Juno isn’t the only great character in this film. Viewers will adore Juno’s father Mac (J.K. Simmons) who stands by his daughter through thick and thin. He is a great example of a protective dad who has witty humor with some one liners that’ll have you rolling. The other standout role is Juno’s best friend Paulie “Bleek” Bleeker (Michael Cera). Bleek is the strange, somewhat weird guy who everyone loves except the one he wants the most. Bleek would do anything for Juno, but Juno isn’t sure what she wants. Audiences will be less confused and want Bleek to be happy. It also stars Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman.

In her screenwriting debut, Diablo Cody creates a phenomenal work as she introduces new slang to the pop culture world and really captures the lives of ordinary teenagers very well. Her dialogue is well defined and no holds barred. She hits the nail on the head as to how teenagers act and talk to each other. The movie grabs your attention immediately with the line “It all started in a chair” and doesn’t let go until its fading screen at the end of the film. Diablo Cody has written a very original screenplay that will have you laughing, falling in love and genuinely caring about its characters

The one thing I didn’t like about this movie is the soundtrack. The movie opens with a very out of place “twangy” country western song that the audience will see just how out of place it is once it learns more about Juno. It isn’t the only song that feels out of tune in the movie; luckily the screenplay is so strong that it’s easy to overlook. There are two songs that fit very well with the feel of the film so it wasn’t a complete fiasco, but the opening song did have me shaking my head (man I’m being critical today!).

I finally have something to cheer for Sunday at the Academy Awards. Juno has already won numerous awards and was nominated for four major Oscars: Best Achievement in Directing: Jason Reitman, Writing Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Ellen Page and the big daddy Best Motion Picture of the Year. While Juno is a major underdog in all these categories, the accolades speak volumes for this movie. You don’t need my recommendation, look at all those nominations! This is a wonderful film.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

juno, movies, academy awards

Thanks to Good News Film Reviews for linking this article.

Gone Baby Gone first came to the public as a novel by best selling author Dennis Lehane who’s written many books set in the Boston area including Mystic River. Now thanks to Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard (screenplay) we get to see this masterpiece of literature on film. I’m sure after the mention of Ben Affleck’s name some of you are sighing and saying “oh no,” but let me remind you of something, the last time Affleck co-wrote a screenplay he won an Academy Award for it (Good Will Hunting ’97). I admit he’s done some skeptical acting jobs since then, but Good Will Hunting might be my favorite movie so he’ll always get a second chance from me. Not only did Affleck co-write the screenplay, he also makes his debut as a director in this film.

After a small child goes missing in a suburb of Boston the McCready family starts to panic when the police seem to have no answers. Gone Baby Gone follows private investigator Patrick Kenzie after he’s hired by the McCready’s to find their baby, Amanda. When Patrick digs further into the case what he finds may not be something he wants or can handle. “Everyone wants the truth… until they find it.”

This movie has been highly acclaimed and has already won many awards and for good reason. This is an overwhelmingly powerful film that holds nothing back and will punch you in the face with emotion and moral conflict. Another thing that sets this film apart is its incredible cast. One of the main goals of a director is to get the best out of his actors and Ben Affleck does that like a veteran. He took a chance by casting his younger brother Casey Affleck (Chasing Amy, Good Will Hunting, Oceans Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen) in a leading role for the first time in his career. Casey does his brother proud by giving an outstanding, gripping performance. But even with Casey’s breakout role, he’s still overshadowed by Amy Ryan as Helene McCready whose portrayal earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. Other notable performances are Ed Harris as Det. Remy Bressant and Morgan Freeman as Capt. Jack Doyle.

Gone Baby Gone truly is one of the best films of ’07. It’ll grab you from the beginning and question your beliefs and morals without relent. Ben Affleck does a fantastic job at capturing his actors’ grief, frustrations and rage. He sets the tone perfectly in tragic situations and uses many camera methods that show exactly what the audience needs to or should see. He handles his debut better than anyone expected as he made a movie that is a must see. This film will leave you in awe. Kudos Ben and welcome back. Rent this movie!

WARNING: This movie is not for children under the age of 14 and I think even 14 is pushing it. It has a very strong R rating for language, very graphic violence (including on children) and graphic, detailed drug use.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

gone baby gone, movies, dvd

The “spoof” movie has taken quite a hit with the complete lack of quality in recent years. Anyone who has seen Date Movie, Epic Movie or the newest Scary Movie sequels knows what I mean. These movies are beyond stupid and have absolutely no place in cinema. Can there ever be a decent spoof again? The sports movie satire The Comebacks (recently released on DVD) puts that question to the test. While it doesn’t come close to the greats such as (the original) Scary Movie or The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad, it does however have some (and by some I mean the lowest meaning of the word) intellect behind it unlike the movies I mentioned earlier.

The Comebacks tells the story (yes, there’s a story) of coach Lambeau Fields played by David Koechner (who’s had great roles in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and the awesome film Thank You for Smoking). Fields is the worst coach in sports and has a significant role in some of sports all time low points. But that doesn’t deter him as he tries coaching everything he can but can’t seem to succeed at anything. He gets one last chance to prove he can be a winner when he gets the head coaching job at a small time college. But like in any sports movie, it won’t come easy.

While there is no aesthetic value, the number of movies spoofed in The Comebacks is quite impressive. It ranges from classics like Field of Dreams to teen movies such as Stick It and has many, many in between. The film does such a variety of spin-offs that it stretches itself thin a few times which may make the viewer confused and at times uncomfortable. This movie won’t have you laughing till you cry, but it will give you some chuckles. It will also make your eyes roll at some of the absurdity and at taking the joke too far sometimes. You don’t have to be a sports movie buff to laugh at the film. Most of the jokes are very obvious and of a sexual nature. While it won’t be a favorite film of yours, it’s worth a risk for a rent if you’re in a silly mood. Plus it features maybe the greatest, sexiest bra I’ve ever seen. Women take note.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

the comebacks, movies, comedy, spoof, david koechner

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big fan of the Western genre in film. In fact I can honestly say I’ve skipped movies (Unforgiven, Tombstone) just because they are Westerns. I have seen my fair share of this sort of Hollywood though and in my experience most of them are roughly the same. They always have the same characters, use scenery to carry its plot and have a big shootout to end things. It’s the classic Western style and 3:10 to Yuma doesn’t vary much from it.

What did catch my eye right away about this film is its tremendous cast. 3:10 to Yuma features two of Hollywood’s best current actors in Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. These two heavyweights take on their roles head on and always give an outstanding performance. While Crowe and Bale did well in their roles, it was Ben Foster as Charlie Prince who stole the spotlight. Foster’s portrayal of the heartless killer was dead on (cheesy pun intended). He has coldness in his eyes that will intimidate anyone who stands in his way. His performance takes the character of Prince out of background right into center stage.

3:10 to Yuma tells the story of Dan Evans (Bale), a Civil War sharpshooter who lost his leg in the war. After returning home to his wife and two sons, Evans is a shell of the man he used to be and the toll is too much to bear when he falls in debt and is in danger of losing his ranch and home. Evans has lost the respect of his family and community and is in desperate need of money and redemption. “It takes a big man to see how small he is” a collector tells him, but an opportunity arises when notorious thief and ruthless killer Ben Wade (Crowe) is captured. Evans offers his services to help transport Wade to Yuma for a $200 reward. It won’t be an easy task as Wade’s gang is on their tail, determined to set him free and will stop at nothing to help its “boss.”

While there is much gun fighting goodness, 3:10 to Yuma’s real battle is a psychological one between Evans and Wade. And this is where this film differs from the standard Western genre. Each character is fighting personal conflict and the back and forth war amongst the two is truly outstanding. It actually brings the psychological thriller into the Western style of film which is not an easy accomplishment. The dialogue and moral battles in this movie are really incredible and make the movie enjoyable for those (like me) who aren’t fans of this type of cinema. And those who are Western lovers will not be disappointed. You’ll see plenty of the wide angle shots that show off beautiful scenery that the genre is infamous for, you’ll get your usual characters that are essential to the Western and the shootouts are of course huge. While women might not be too happy with all the ruggedness (there are exactly two women in the film and they’re on screen for a combined ten minutes), men will find something to enjoy in this critically acclaimed film. The DVD is definitely worth a rent.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

3:10 to yuma, movies, dvd

Have you been longing for a good sci-fi/fantasy movie? Does your heart leap at the words Harry Potter? Then Stardust on DVD may be just what you’ve been looking for. It tells the story of witches, pirates, princes, ghosts, fallen stars and most importantly true love. What more can you ask of a movie?

Our narrator (Sir Ian McKellen) starts the movie with an intriguing question: “A philosopher once asked, ‘Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?’ Pointless, really…’Do the stars gaze back?’ Now *that’s* a question.” If that doesn’t grab you by the brain then don’t worry you still may enjoy this film, I just thought it was a cool thought.

The story picks up with our protagonist Tristan (Charlie Cox) who lives in a small English town that borders a forbidden magical land (Stormhold) that harbors beauty, mystery and danger. As a star named Yvaine (Claire Danes) falls to earth in Stormhold Tristan tries to impress his love by telling her he’ll get the star for her if she’ll marry him. What Tristan doesn’t know is a star hasn’t fallen in over four hundred years and whoever holds the heart of a star has the gift of immortality. A race begins to find Yvaine between Tristan and those just looking for glory and ever lasting life. Will our hero get to her first? Will his love be tested?

Many sci-fi/fantasy films rely on special effects, monsters and makeup to carry its plot, but Stardust is a story based film. It leans on its strong screenplay (Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman) and its amazing cast. A cast that includes Michelle Pfieffer as Lamia a powerful and evil witch, Robert De Niro as pirate lord Captain Shakespeare in a role you have to see if you’re a fan of the infamous bad boy of Hollywood and Claire Danes as the beautiful fallen star, Yvaine. They all do a phenomenal job in their well written roles.

Special features on the DVD are pretty standard. You have the usual deleted scenes, bloopers, and trailers. But what I did find interesting was Good Omens: The Making of Stardust. Features like these are always interesting because you get to find out what the director (Matthew Vaughn) was thinking when he decided what shots and/or camera angles to use for different scenes. And you learn more about film making in general. It’s not as easy as you might think.

This is a fun fantasy film that will leave you with a smile. It is PG-13 so it may not be suitable for the whole family. There are many death scenes, scary images of witches and homosexual undertones. If you’re comfortable with your kids watching the Harry Potter films, I don’t think you will have a problem with Stardust. So pop up some corn, grab a comfortable seat and enjoy the escape from reality.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

stardust, fantasy, sci-fi, movies, dvd

(This article was written by a new contributer to ‘The Consumer’s Corner,’ my friend Andy Gates.)

Finally some originality coming out of Hollywood! It’s been a few years since we’ve had a good ol’ monster movie to enjoy and thanks to J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost) that longing has been filled and then some.

Cloverfield isn’t the same monster movie you’ve seen a dozen times, actually it’s far from it. The film is shot entirely on a hand held camera and is shown as a home movie. And because of this genius idea, we see all the emotions that go through the characters as they witness a true disaster.

Cloverfield starts out as a going away party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David) as his best friend Hud (T.J. Miller) films the good times for Rob so he’ll remember his friends while he’s in Japan. But good times quickly become life threatening when a mysterious monster attacks their home, New York City. Hud never puts the camera down because “People are gonna wanna know, you know, how it all went down.”

Almost the entire movie is shot from Hud’s point of view which does something very unique, it puts the audience inside the movie. Whatever the characters see, you will see and be enthralled. This also allows the viewer to feel what our heroes feel which is true terror. You will be side by side with Rob, Hud and their friends as they go through the Big Apple trying to avoid mayhem, injury and death.

Many critics have compared Cloverfield to the 1999 surprise hit The Blair Witch Project because of the cinematography styles. While the style is similar, that is the only thing these two films share. The main complaint of The Blair Witch Project was while the characters obviously saw some horrific sights, the audience didn’t see anything. That is not the case in Cloverfield. The viewer sees everything the characters see and that includes the gruesome monster. Unlike Blair Witch, Cloverfield is mentally and visually stunning.

Many monster movies have resorted to show a tender side of their “monster” such as King Kong and Godzilla. You won’t see any such humanity in the real monster of Cloverfield. This creature is truly horrifying and is here to destroy and kill. The only humanism we see is in the very well defined characters. Cloverfield is the first true “monster movie” since Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic Alien.

This movie puts you right in the threshold of danger and refuses to relent. It will have your nerves on end and your mind begging for more. This is what cinema was created for, originality, aestheticism, thrills and of the course the audience.

(WARNING: Because of the way Cloverfield is filmed it may cause motion sickness. Theatres have compared it to riding a rollercoaster so it may not be for everybody. I did get a slight headache during the experience, but it was well worth it.)

Official Site

–Andy Gates

cloverfield, movies, horror, thriller

(Thank you to ‘Good News Film Reviews‘ for linking to this article.)