Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
Zack Braff, the lovable doctor from NBC's Scrubs, wrote, directed, and starred in Garden State. Normally I would say that trifecta is the recipe for a self-indulgent disaster, but in this case it really works. It's the old story of messed-up boy meets messed-up girl, and together they reduce their respected messed-upness. It's remarkably well done and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Video: 2
Audio: 3
Extras: 2
Eminem had his semiautobiographical film debut. Now it’s 50 Cent’s turn. “Loosely based” on the story of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s rise through the rough streets, Get Rich treads on some familiar territory. While there are some decent performances (courtesy of Terrence Howard, among others) and 50 Cent has a modicum of charisma, the movie doesn’t have enough to sustain itself or to make you truly believe that 50 Cent has this burning desire to get his words out in rap. In fact, rapping feels like an afterthought here.
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
Fresh off his success in Pulp Fiction, John Travolta cemented his mid-'90s comeback with Get Shorty, a fun, clever adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel about a loan shark who decides to get out of the business and into The Business, aka movie-making. Travolta so thoroughly inhabits the character of Chili Palmer that it's hard to believe he initially turned down the role. It was Quentin Tarantino who ultimately convinced Travolta to take the part. (Where was he when Travolta decided to take Battlefield Earth?)
Get Back
Would you believe that Get Smart has returned on DVD?
I don’t think we’ve ever reported on a TV title in the Reference Corner column before, and perhaps that’s because there are too few TV-on-DVD sets like this one.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 2
Hmm, a medical show featuring a lot of hot, young people...and that guy who played the geek in all of those '80s teen movies like Can't Buy Me Love and Loverboy as the heartthrob surgeon. Count me out. On the surface, Grey's Anatomy didn't seem to bring anything new to the already crowded table of TV medical dramedies. But the show's prime spot after Desperate Housewives on Sunday nights allowed it to occasionally make its presence known on my TV, and I found myself being reluctantly drawn in. The characters are engaging, the cast is talented, and the writing is surprisingly sap free. Now I'm hooked.
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
I might lose your respect for this, but I enjoy The Rock. Even when his material is lacking (which it often is), I find that The Rock rises above it all and makes something solid (pun sadly intended). Gridiron Gang continues to prove my theory, telling a “true story” that manages to combine troubled inner-city kids finding guidance and a football team rising above the odds. It’s a very conventional movie, complete with montages, but Dwayne Johnson makes it tolerable.
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 2
Naturalist Timothy Treadwell wanted to become one with nature, and, in a way, he did. Having lived amongst dangerous grizzly bears over 13 summers in Alaska, he—along with his girlfriend—was eventually mauled and eaten by one of them.
Video: 4
Audio: 5
Extras: 5
I was so unimpressed with the first two Harry Potter movies that I didn’t bother to see the third or this one in theaters. Boy, did I miss out. This and Prisoner of Azkaban are excellent. In this episode of the Harry Potter serials, Hogwarts is playing host to the Triwizard Tournament. Somehow, Harry’s name gets entered, even though he’s too young. From the little touches of the teenagers’ growing pains to the significant plot developments in the Potter canon, you shouldn’t miss this one. Oh, and there’s a bunch of action, too.
Video: 3
Audio: 5
Extras: 4
Directing this movie had to be tough. On the one hand, legions of Potter fans don't want a filmmaker to swing too wide of J.K. Rowling's beloved source material. Yet critics and audiences were becoming restless with Chris Columbus' literal interpretations of the first two books. It turns out that director Alfonso Cuaron was an excellent choice to take over the reins. His visual flair gave Hogwarts a much-needed fleshing out; he kept much of the original story intact while stepping up its pacing; and he got some of the best performances yet from Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson as Harry and Hermione. Younger viewers may find this film scarier than the first two, but it's all in keeping with Rowling's move toward darker themes.
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 4
OK now, I don’t say this very often, but this movie is messed up. It’s actually pretty good—don’t misunderstand—but this well-crafted tale of three impossibly obnoxious tourists on a budget takes many a dark twist, with lots of unapologetically graphic violence. It’s not for the faint of heart.
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