DVD Releases February 17 2009

What Just Happened?

From Magnolia
Average customer review:

Somebody once dubbed Hollywood "the Dream Factory"; What Just Happened aims to make sad, occasionally zany comedy of the proposition that unreality is the keynote of Hollywood as place, process, and lifestyle. Art Linson wrote it, and as producer of The Untouchables, Fight Club, Heat, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, et numerous al., he must know the territory. Trouble is, after Robert Altman's way-superior The Player (1992), several seasons of Entourage, and wraparound entertainment coverage on cable TV and the Internet, most of What Just Happened feels secondhand and superfluous. Robert De Niro gives a low-key comic performance as Ben, a seasoned producer being relegated to the edge of Tinseltown's Big Picture. The test screening of his latest movie was a disaster because his arty Cockney director (Michael Wincott, savoring a rare comic opportunity) insists on killing off not only hero Sean Penn but also, unforgivably, his dog. And Ben's next movie may not get made at all because Bruce Willis is adamant about playing his part with an outlandish beard the studio won't stand for. Meanwhile, our beleaguered protagonist is living in a soulless plastic-and-chrome apartment while supporting two ex-wives in their respective Houses Beautiful. The second wife (Robin Wright Penn) has lined up a divorce counselor to help them get on with their separate lives, even as Ben yearns for reconciliation.

What Just Happened re-teams De Niro with director Barry Levinson eleven years after Wag the Dog (1997), their surreal black comedy about Hollywood and Washington, different kinds of dream factory, collaborating on a politically expedient fiction and an unnecessary war. Nothing comparable is at stake here--though at one point studio boss Catherine Keener does evoke memories of President Lyndon Johnson issuing directives while perched on the commode. There are funny bits and deft touches from such redoubtable troupers as John Turturro--playing an agent terrified of talking to his clients--and Stanley Tucci, as a screenwriter who may be moving in on that wife Ben hopes to win back. However, Levinson's direction is so lackadaisical, there's barely a moment that doesn't nudge the whole enterprise toward the direct-to-video bin. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

A Producer's Life
Written by producer Art Linson (THE UNTOUCHABLES) and directed by Barry Levinson (WAG THE DOG), WHAT JUST HAPPENED is a dark comedy that takes a realistic look at the tenuous life of a Hollywood film producer.

Somebody once said that a producer will "sell his soul" in order to get his movie made, and this clever film seems be bear that premise out.

Robert DeNiro plays a "powerful" producer whose "power" is hanging by a slender thread. Not only did his latest film have a disastrous test screening, but Bruce Willis (playing himself), the star of his next film, is refusing to shave his bushy beard for the movie, which might result in the entire project being cancelled.

Though he's dealing with three children from two ex-wives, one of which (Robin Wright Penn) he still loves, DeNiro's job is to juggle his personal and professional lives and keep everybody happy. Studio head Catherine Keener insists that the recently previewed movie be re-cut, so the studio will only lose $15 million on it, instead of $25 million. Now, DeNiro must coax his unstable director (Michael Wincott) into making the changes before the movie has its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

He also has to deal with Bruce Willis' timid agent (John Turturro) and get the representative to force his client into shaving the beard. Willis, incidentally, seems to be having a ball spoofing himself, particularly in a scene in which he destroys the costuming department while throwing a temper tantrum.

In his personal life, DeNiro discovers that Wright is sleeping with married writer Stanley Tucci, and that his teenage daughter had been having an affair with a much older agent who has just committed suicide.

I really enjoyed this smart, often laugh-out-loud, comedy, but the fact is that this film will probably appeal more to industry "insiders," rather than the general public. You really have to know the picture business in order to truly enjoy this movie's humor.

Sean Penn (as himself) and Kristen Stewart co-star.

© Michael B. Druxman

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Sex Drive

Directed by Sean Anders
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Sooner or later, the new breed of coming-of-age comedy (good ones like Superbad, not-so-good ones like College) had to inspire a parody of itself, and that self-conscious knock-off is the sporadically funny Sex Drive. A road movie about a virginal nice guy, Ian (John Zuckerman), who drives cross-country in his brother's car to score with a girl he met online, Sex Drive sounds like just another teen farce. But it isn't, exactly: with stops in a rockin' Amish community, in the redneck house of a bathroom fetishist, and in Ian's own family home (where a well-meaning new stepmother is continually exposed to Ian's unsavory private life), the film has an original life of its own. Casting counts for a lot in this movie. Clark Duke plays the likeable, over-confident nebbish we've come to expect since meeting McLovin' in Superbad, and Amanda Crew is Felicia, Ian's best friend and obvious romantic destiny (once these crazy kids figure that out). The three of them go traveling together in search of Ian's sure thing. But Sex Drive really becomes a much better comedy once Seth Green appears (as an Amish guy steeped in guilt-tripping sarcasm) and James Marsden (as Ian's bullying, homophobic brother) lets loose with a very funny performance. The two of them, really, have never been better on screen. There are a number of noteworthy scenes, particularly a chaotic climax that brings most of the characters together for an unexpected finish. Sex Drive, in some ways, is a more inspired movie than some of the ones it lampoons. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Older Generations quit whining
I've heard a lot of criticism about this movie saying, "oh it's not original" "we've seen this before" and then they go to compare it to some OLD 80s Teen Comedy. Heck, even comparing it to a 90s teen comedy wouldn't be fair.

My point is that the teens comedies are meant to strike at well... Teens of today... not teens of 20 or 10 years ago.

See... if I watch a teen comedy of the 80s... there's no WAY i can relate to those fads BUT i can relate to the common teen themes of exploration. Which is exactly what Sex Drive does. Yes it does have similarities to old teen films but it places them in more recent times.

Overall this film was great and it had a lot of heart. It annoys me that people who grew up watching 90s and 80s teen comedy's give it low ratings when it is meant for younger audiences that have probably never seen those old comedies and even if they did, would not be able to relate to them.

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The French Connection [Blu-ray]

Directed by William Friedkin
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William Friedkin's classic policier was propelled to box-office glory, and a fistful of Oscars, in 1972 by its pedal-to-the-metal filmmaking and fashionably cynical attitude toward law enforcement. Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle, a brutally pushy New York City narcotics detective, is a dauntless crime fighter and Vietnam-era "pig," a reckless vulgarian whose antics get innocent people killed. Loosely based upon an actual investigation that led to what was then the biggest heroin seizure in U.S. history, the picture traces the efforts of Doyle and his partner (Roy Scheider) to close the pipeline pumping Middle Eastern smack into the States through the French port of Marseilles. (The actual French Connection cops, Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, make cameo appearances.) It was widely recognized at the time that Friedkin had lifted a lot of his high-strung technique from the Costa-Gavras thrillers The Sleeping Car Murders and Z--he even imported one of Costa-Gavras's favorite thugs, Marcel Bozzuffi, to play the Euro-trash hit man plugged by Doyle in an elevated train station. There was an impressive official sequel in 1975, French Connection II, directed by John Frankenheimer, which took Popeye to the south of France and got him hooked on horse. A couple of semi-official spinoffs followed, The Seven-Ups, which elevated Scheider to the leading role, and Badge 373, with Robert Duvall stepping in as the pugnacious flatfoot. --David Chute

Customer Reviews

Great service
I received this product sooner than promised. It was in great condition.
The movie was everything it was advertised to be. I would buy more products like this one anyday.

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Just Shoot Me: The Complete 3rd Season

Directed by Craig Zisk, Jean Sagal, Kevin C. Slattery, Leonard R. Garner Jr., Matthew Diamond
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The sassy stars of Blush magazine are back with more hilarity in the third season of Just Shoot Me! Join Maya, Jack, Nina, Elliott and Finch for 25 side-splitting episodes of the six-time Emmy®-nominated and seven-time Golden Globe®- nominated series. This witty ensemble comedy explores the often tumultuous and always hysterical dynamic between five quirky staff members of a high fashion magazine. Available on digitally re-mastered DVD for the first time, the deadlines, models and hangovers are even more hilarious than you remember. Funny has never been so fashionable!

Customer Reviews

Took way too long....
This is one of the funniest shows ever. But frankly, a five year break beetween releases is absolutely inexcuseable. I'm not going to buy season three until I see that season four is ready to ship. I'm not going to buy another season and wait for five years for those morons to get their act together. A great show, but unfortunately in the hands of fools.

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Ironweed

From Lions Gate
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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1752 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-24
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Its finally happening!
I was an extra for this movie when it was filmed in Albany, NY. I have been waiting to find this on DVD. This is an excellent movie, excellent writing, and is a must see movie.

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The Lair : Season 2

Directed by Fred Olen Ray
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From the creators of the smash hit Dante s Cove
In the first season of "The Lair," when the bodies of young nameless men were turning up dead with grisly wounds to their necks, the trail lead an ambitious young journalist to explore a private gentlemen s club christened THE LAIR. There a devilishly attractive group of vampires waited to test the limits of the flesh.

Season two picks up where one left off with many unanswered questions about the secret club and the future of its members. A supernatural thriller with an eye for the erotic, The Lair The Complete Second Season boldly goes where few shows of its type have ever dared.

Customer Reviews

Going Where Few Shows Go
"The Lair": Season Two

Going Where Few Shows Go

Amos Lassen

"The Lair" is Here TV!'s hit show that entered its second season this year. What the show deals with is that the bodies of nameless young men turned up dead with terrible neck wounds. The trail of bodies lead an ambitious young journalist to a private men's club named "The Lair". It seems that those that frequent the club are an attractive group of vampires who want to test the limits of the flesh and season two continues to try to answer the unanswered questions about the club and its membership.
When we left season one, Damian was in prison and Colin seized control of "The Lair". Ian, a stranger who was hitch-hiking becomes friends with a guy and the consequences are alarming. Meanwhile, our journalist, Thom, receives a visit in spirit form from Damian as he attempts to free himself from prison. Almost simultaneously, Dr. Jake Waldman receives a strange plant which he wants to use for an unorthodox experiment. Suddenly Thom's ex-boyfriend, Richie, reappears and this causes Damian to threaten Thom and Jake's plant brings about a strange influence over him and he becomes increasingly possessed by the plant, a Lumina Orchis, and this causes Thom to begin to worry about him. Colin also begins his search for new victims. As the plant becomes a force to be dealt with, it kills the evil Mr. Spivey who breaks into Jake's house. The sheriff Trout finds Spivey's body and things get quite heavy as the plant and the vampires gain power.
There are several new faces in season two including one famous porn star in a non-porn role. Evil continues to operate and all evidence seems to point to unhealthy activities going on at the club.

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Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet

From Mya Communication/Ryko
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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1721 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-24
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Customer Reviews

A lost Argento classic finally gets released!.
Four Flies on Grey Velvet was one of Dario Argento's lost gems, and I'm really glad they finally released this great and obscure giallo flick on DVD. Four Flies on Grey Velvet was Argento's third and final entry in his fine trilogy of animal-themed giallo thrillers. Four Flies is one of the better films of the trilogy, second only to Argento's great debut film Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). The film is classic Argento that flourishes with a beautiful visual style. It has an intriguing storyline with plenty of tight suspense sequences, bizarre atmosphere and a rather dark sense of humor (check out the over the top homosexual detective or the dimwit mailman). The mystery element is kept quite high too and Ennio Morricone's lovely music score is also a great addition and really complements the rest of the film. Roberto played by Michael Brandon is a young and talented rock drummer playing in a band alongside his friends. For the last week he has a guy with a fancy suit and dark sunglasses stalking him for no apparent reason. When Roberto accidentally kills the guy during the inevitable confrontation, it suddenly becomes clear that someone entirely different intends to frame him as the accidental murder is captured on film. From then on, a guy wearing a strange mask threatens and blackmails Roberto as well as his wife Nina (Mimsy Farmer). Soon after, Roberto is plagued by gruesome nightmares and a cold fear of dread. Attacked in his own home by the mysterious and masked stranger, Roberto is further tortured when his maid is brutally killed. Based on a story by Argento (who scripted), Luigi Cozzi and Mario Foglietti, this is abit slow going at times but has enough twists and turns to keep giallo fans interested for the most part. As expected there are lots of stylish sequences, some great camerawork and some interesting camera placements (including one inside a guitar), what was really unexpected about this film though was the use of comedy in a couple of scenes through out the film while sometimes this would work, occasionally it just would be a nuisance and distract you from the real plot, don't get me wrong though this was an excellent giallo flick and was quite thrilling with some awesome and suspenseful moments, it was definitely different from his other films but also quite unique. Most of the performances are decent enough with Mimsy Farmer being the highlight, she was the best actress in the whole cast as she was very believable and memorable in her role, she did a great job along with Michael Brandon. Another supporting role is played by none other than the a**-kicking cult actor/comedian Bud Spencer! The superb score by maestro Ennio Morricone is one more reason to watch this film. Dario Argento is one of my all-time favorite directors while this wasn't my favorite of his (I still prefer Tenebre and Susperia) I still loved it. There was some blood and gore but it wasn't too violent except for a few bloody stabbings and two decapitations it wasn't that that gory, you can tell that from this film Dario was preparing himself for his true masterpiece Deep Red and there were some similar shots that were used in this film as well like the opening of the red curtains and there were some other similar stylistic shots here and there. I'm a longtime Argento fan and so when I heard about Four Flies finally getting a proper DVD release I was ecstatic, I just couldn't believe it. This turned out to be just as good as I hoped it would. It was definitely worth watching and should not be missed, I highly recommend this to all my fellow Italian horror fans.

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Vanishing Point [Blu-ray]

Directed by Richard C. Sarafian
Average customer review:

Art film and road movie collide for Vanishing Point, an existential car chase across the desert in a post Easy Rider America. Barry Newman stars as Kowalski, a taciturn driver who bets that he can drive a new Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. He loads up on amphetamines and begins his odyssey through the contemporary west while a funky black DJ (Cleavon Little) turns the driver into a folk hero and broadcasts advice on dodging the cops. It's like a counterculture precursor to Smokey and the Bandit, with the road as the last bastion of freedom and the DJ as a combination commentator and mystical guide. The slim plot offers a network of society drop-outs that aid the "last free Man on Earth" (as the DJ describes him) on his obscure but obviously symbolic quest while flashbacks paint Kowalski as a world-weary hero. It doesn't really make much sense, but the amazing car chases and excellent stunt work are stunningly set against the American west, beautifully captured by cinematographer John A. Alonzo. Vanishing Point is most assuredly a product of its time, the heady, anything-goes era of rebellion in the early 1970s. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Great Chase Flick
This has to be one of the all time best chase flicks. And if your into the classic muscle Dodge's this is the movie for you. I bought this for a friend who is still in love with the classic Dodge muscle car and he flipped.

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My Wife & Kids: Season 1

From Lions Gate
Average customer review:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5132 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 264 minutes

Customer Reviews

Yay
Ok, I'm just putting this here to say how happy I am that this is getting released on dvd. I saw it on sale before but I knew it was a bootleg. I never saw this on tv. At least I don;t think I did. Well I have seen it lately but not when it was new. It is SO funny. The actors are all great. It has good stories. I think it is a good show to watch with the fam when you need a laugh. I will get it to watch with my mom, step dad and step bro and sys when they come over.

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