Get the feedNew DVDs this week: It's ok to play with your food.
Monday, Jan 04th 2010
The Final Destination
The Gist: Nick O'Bannon escapes death, but like a time share sales associate, death relentlessly hunts him and his friends.
The Buzz: It has all the standard gore of a horror movie. People die in creative ways. Problem is, it's just not that interesting, even for people who like horror.
The Ups: No ups.
The Downs: Violent and macabre. Predictable. Uninteresting dialog and characters. Rated R for violence.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
The Gist: Things get messy, and tasty, when food starts to fall from the sky like rain in this animated kids' flick.
The Buzz: Fast paced, funny, and sweet, this is quality family fare. Turns out, it's ok to play with your food.
The Ups: Goofy and silly, like a Buggs Bunny cartoon, but slimier.
The Downs: If you're emotionally attached to gummy bears, be warned that some die in creative ways, but not quite as creative as in The Final Destination.
Rated PG for brief, mild language.
Chuck
TV on DVD: Chuck Season 2
The Gist: Chuck (Zachary Levi) is an ordinary nerd who happens to have a spy computer implanted in his brain. Luckily, Special Agent Sara (Yvonne Strahovski) is there to protect him, provide romantic tension, and wear short skirts.
The Buzz: This show is a bit of a throwback, in the same company with the classic Get Smart. Funny and sometimes tender, it balances gags with Chuck's real and enduring affection for Sara.
The Ups: Light, frothy, and fast-paced, with funny supporting actors and a nice romance at the heart.
The Downs: Funny, but raunchy, jokes make this adult-only fare. And maybe not some adults.
Big Love
TV on DVD: Big Love Season 3
The Gist: Fundamentalist Mormon Bill Hendrickson (Bill Paxon) juggles three wives and seven children, while dealing with the pulls and threats of a larger society that rejects polygamy.
The Buzz: HBO is all about pushing boundaries and this show is no exception.
The Ups: Brilliantly acted and written, like other shows on HBO, this is an extremely well-made series. It touches on subjects we all face, like parenting, love, and faith, but through a wildly different lens. It avoids being just another freak show (I'm talking about you, "Jon and Kate"), and brings out humanity in the characters.
The Downs: As with most cable shows, this is adult swim only. Scenes can be explicit. For people of faith, some of the reflections and portrayals of faith can be uncomfortable.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER by Greg Whiteley
Our Emmy-nominated filmmaker gives us a peek into his head. When asked for a movie that didn't get the popular acclaim it deserved, he recommended:
Redbelt
The Gist: Jujitsu master Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) -- who's in a financial bind -- considers entering the arena to compete for cash … which goes against his philosophy and his integrity. With his dojo foundering, a pistol mishap puts Mike further in debt, leaving him at the mercy of gangland creeps.The Ups: Smart script. Great character study that illustrates the struggle between leading a life of principal while navigating the problems of the real world.
The Downs: The pacing of a David Mamet film can be methodical. In spite of some great scenes of jujitsu it is not violent but because of some language and some adult situations it is fairly iffy for those under 15.
At SixSeeds, we talk about the stories that surround modern life. We love movies -- in fact, we even have a “brick and mortar” called SixSeeds Video in Winchester, Massachusetts! We know that good films have an amazing power to move, inspire, and sometimes even transform life. Bad ones make you regret plunking down the $10 for the privilege of listening to the guy next to you chew milk duds for two hours.
That’s why we want to keep you informed of the latest offerings on DVD and Blu-Ray. Listing the new releases below doesn't mean you should rush out and watch them with your pre-schoolers. In fact, over the course of the next few months, we’ll list many we wouldn’t let our teenagers watch. (Some, we regret watching!) But somewhere in America, a teenager is going to come to their parent and say, “Hey, I’m supposed to bring the movie to the slumber party. May I bring...?”
And right there in the aisle of the video store, a decision will be made.
Come back next week to read “The RunDown,” America... and choose wisely!
That’s why we want to keep you informed of the latest offerings on DVD and Blu-Ray. Listing the new releases below doesn't mean you should rush out and watch them with your pre-schoolers. In fact, over the course of the next few months, we’ll list many we wouldn’t let our teenagers watch. (Some, we regret watching!) But somewhere in America, a teenager is going to come to their parent and say, “Hey, I’m supposed to bring the movie to the slumber party. May I bring...?”
And right there in the aisle of the video store, a decision will be made.
Come back next week to read “The RunDown,” America... and choose wisely!
Rebecca Cusey
Rebecca Cusey is the official movie reviewer for SixSeeds.tv. A member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association and the Television Critics Association, she does celebrity interviews, reviews, trend pieces, and event coverage. Her work has appeared in USA Today, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Comcast.net, World Magazine, National Review Online, Relevant Magazine, Beliefnet.com, and many other outlets.
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