Kam Williams — Film & DVD Reviews
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Voted Best Male Entertainment Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2006, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S. and Canada. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee, and Rotten Tomatoes. In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.Book Reviews | Film Reviews | DVD Reviews | Celebrity Interviews | Commentaries
DVD Review by Kam Williams DVD Examines Drive to Dance in the Midst of Ugandan Civil War In much the way that Amandla! (2002) paid tribute to the freedom songs that helped inspire black South Africans topple the oppressive Apartheid regime, War Dance is a documentary about how the children of Uganda have turned to music and dance to take their minds off the intractable civil war which has ravaged the divided African nation for close to 20 years. Directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix, this emotionally-engaging testament to the indomitability of the human spirit specifically focuses on the dreams of a trio of orphans living in a refugee camp near the Northern border. The kids, Dominic and Nancy, both 14, and Rose, 13, all wish to participate in the annual National Music Competition being staged in the country’s capital, Kampala. Though scarred by the conflict and living in squalor, they remain optimistic about their prospects of winning, provided they can arrive at the event safely. The picture is evenly divided between uplifting scenes of teams practicing and heartbreaking interludes during which the three protagonists reflect about their loss of innocence in the wake of all the unspeakable horrors they’ve witnessed.
Xylophonist
Dominic talks about having been recruited by the rebels and then
forced to hack a family of innocent farmers to death. Rose, a
singer, wistfully recounts how her parents were slaughtered right in
front of her, while The Oscar-nominated picture’s only flaw rests in that some of these earnest eyewitness accounts come across as having been rehearsed. This doesn’t mean that they’re not true, just possibly practiced to a point where they’ve lost their spontaneity. Still, given the breathtaking cinematography, the undulating rhythms, the enchanting choreography and soul-piercing refrains, War Dance is worthwhile as an affirmation of the human potential to be reborn and begin again even in the midst of the most dire of circumstances. Excellent (3.5 stars) Rated PG-13 for mature themes and descriptions of atrocities. Running time: 107 minutes Studio: ThinkFilm/Image Entertainment DVD Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, theatrical trailer and trailer gallery. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/War-Dance-Andrea-Nix/dp/B000ZN71H2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1208101654&sr=1-1 Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_dance/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0912599/mediaindex Or: http://www.wardancethemovie.com/ posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Crime Saga Courtesy of Legendary Sidney Lumet Comes to DVD Though well into his eighties, Sidney Lumet hasn’t lost his edge. Exhibit A is this masterfully-crafted, multi-layered murder mystery by the legendary director which earned the #3 spot on this critic’s Top Ten List for 2007.
At the point of departure of the tawdry
tale of greed and betrayal, we find Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour
Hoffman) in the heat of passion with his high-maintenance trophy
wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Despite pulling down a decent salary as a
corporate executive in
He comes up with
a solution to the problem, namely, to rob a mom-and-pop jewelry
store in a suburban mall. And he already has a place picked out, the
one owned by his parents up in So, he enlists the assistance of his struggling brother in hatching what’s supposed to be the perfect crime. What Andy doesn’t know is that Hank (Ethan Hawke) is a shameless backstabber who has been secretly carrying on a passionate affair with Gina. Although initially hesitant, he agrees to enter the conspiracy because he’s several months behind in child support to his vindictive ex-wife (Amy Ryan) and doesn’t want to be denied visitation. Needless to say, some of the best laid plans go awry, and the confederate (Brian O’Byrne) Hank hires to pull off the heist ends up mortally wounding their mother (Rosemary Harris) in an unanticipated exchange of gunfire. He dies at the scene, too, during the commission of the crime, which means it’s just a matter of time before circumstantial evidence starts to point at the grieving siblings. With the cops, the triggerman’s widow (Aleska Palladino), a blackmailing mobster (Michael Shannon) and their own disconsolate father (Albert Finney) all closing in, perhaps the best the despicable pair can hope for is summed up in the Irish saying from which the film takes its title: “May you be in heaven, half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.” Vintage Lumet! Excellent (4 stars) Rated R for nudity, violence, drug use, profanity and graphic sexuality. Running time: 117 minutes Studio: Image Entertainment DVD Extras: Director and cast commentary, “The Making of” featurette, and a theatrical trailerFor photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Before-Devil-Knows-Youre-Dead/dp/B00112S8RS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1208092113&sr=8-1 Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_the_devil_knows_youre_dead/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0292963/mediaindex Or: http://www.7h58cesamedila-lefilm.com/ posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams DVD
Features Offbeat Romantic Comedy about Overweight Actor James Aaron (Jeff Garlin) seems to be bottoming-out. Not only is the aging actor overweight and unemployed, but he has just been dumped by both his girlfriend and his agent. Furthermore, because he still lives at home with his mother (Mina Kolb), the prospects for his social life improving aren’t very promising. On the job front, he’s been very picky about what parts he’ll consider, yet he gets upset when denied an opportunity to audition for a role awarded to an up-and-coming teenager (Aaron Carter). Desperate to turn his fortunes around, the rudderless thespian joins Overeaters Anonymous to deal with his binge eating. But that effort backfires when he goes directly from the support group to the familiar comfort offered by his favorite ice cream parlor. There, he’s flattered when the attractive, young cashier (Sarah Silverman) behind the counter starts to flirtswith him shamelessly.
Although, at first, James finds it hard
to take Beth’s impulsive overture seriously, the two do forge an
unlikely liaison reminiscent of Woody Allen’s classic mismatches
opposite Diane Keaton (Annie Hall), Mariel Hemingway ( Written and
directed by and starring Too bad comedienne Sarah Silverman simply is no Diane Keaton. La-di-da… la-di-da… Excellent (3.5 stars) Unrated Running time: 80 minutes Studio: Genius Products DVD Extras: Deleted scene and a director’s commentary.For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/I-Want-Someone-Eat-Cheese/dp/B00125WASW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207920941&sr=1-1 Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0391229/photogallery Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_want_someone_to_eat_cheese_with/photos.php Login: ifcguest01 Password: Kubrick posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Coming-of-Age Comedy Revolving around Teen Pregnancy Released on DVD 16 year-old Juno (Ellen Page) is a precocious smart aleck who comes to regret her one-night stand with Paulie (Michael Cera), a grateful classmate with not much going for him. For she ends up pregnant by a boy she didn’t love. With no interest in keeping the baby, she decides to run an ad in the newspaper offering the newborn for adoption, and she eventually settles on Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman), a happily-married couple eager to start a family who have found themselves frustrated in that endeavor. Now, the barren wife’s maternal urge conveniently dovetails with Juno’s need to place her kid in an ideal setting.
This is the novel point of departure of
Juno, a quirky, coming-of-age teensploit rather reminiscent of Ghost
World, another offbeat adventure revolving around a quick-witted,
female with a blasé attitude. Set against the jarring candy-colored,
Pee Wee Herman-style backdrops, the production has the same surreal
wanderlust about it that worked so well in Juno was directed by Jason Reitman, whose Thank You for Smoking was this critic’s #1 pick on the Top Ten List for 2006. And it was written by former stripper Diablo Cody who won an Oscar for a screenplay which fails to differentiate much among its colorful characters in favor of going for the joke, forcing pithy remarks into the mouths of anyone and everyone, even when malapropos. The upshot is a terminally-clever comedy that’s laced with lots of inspired sardonic humor but can’t quite convince you to take its slowly thickening plot seriously. This is unfortunate, because the production squanders its potential edginess surrounding some surprising developments, such as the sexual tension which arises between Juno and Mark, by always looking for laughs at the expense of substance. Forget Napoleon, think Juno Dynamite! Very Good (3 stars) Rated PG-13 for profanity, premarital sexuality and mature themes. Running time: 96 minutes Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 2-Disc DVD Extras: Commentary by director Jason Reitman and scriptwriter Diablo Cody, 11 deleted scenes, gag reel, gag take, cast and crew jam, screen tests, plus several featurettes. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Juno-Two-Disc-Special-Digital-Copy/dp/B0014CQNTK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207917265&sr=8-3 Or: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/juno/ Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/juno/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/gallery/ss/0467406/Ss/0467406/JunoFINAL.jpg?path=gallery&path_key=0467406 Or register at: http://www.foxpressroom.com/ posted May3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Turn of the Century Saga Features Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar-Winning
Performance I’m not sure whether audiences love watching anything as much as a good Horatio Alger tale chronicling the triumphant struggle of an underdog who overcomes the humblest of circumstances to amass wealth beyond his or her wildest imagination. Fans of the American Dream genre will undoubtedly salivate over There Will Be Blood, a turn of the century saga ostensibly-inspired by Oil!, the class-conscious novel published by Upton Sinclair back in 1927. This screen adaptation led the Academy Award hopefuls with eight nominations including Best Picture and Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), although it ultimately only won in the Actor and Cinematography categories. Despite clocking in at a patience-testing 2½ hours, the tortoise-paced picture is nonetheless worthwhile for the latest spellbinding performance by Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis alone.
From My Beautiful Launderette to My Left
Foot to In the Name of the Father to Gangs of New York, the very
versatile thespian has proven himself capable of adapting
imperceptibly to any era and setting, and of adopting the requisite
accent and mannerisms. Here, it is 1898, and he plays Daniel
Plainview, a struggling silver prospector barely eking out a living
in Sure enough, the pair soon find plenty of petroleum, however, gaining the rights to the land to extract the black gold calls for a combination of ruthless manipulation and unalloyed greed that is most unbecoming. For not only do they sell their souls on the way to fortune, but even their familial bonds end up being sorely tested.
Exploring a plethora of themes of
Shakespearean dimensions (ambition, faith, loyalty and love to name
a few), this grand production inexorably builds to a showdown
between the despicable The Beverly Hillbillies, sans the cement pond. Excellent (3.5 stars) Rated R for violence. Running time: 158 minutes Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment 2-Disc DVD Extras: “Dailies Gone Wild,” “The Story of Petroleum” (a black & white silent film chronicling the oil business in the 1920s), trailers, “Fishing” sequence, “15 Minutes” (pictures, research, etcetera for the making of the film), and Haircut/Interrupted Hymn. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/There-Blood-Two-Disc-Special-Collectors/dp/B00104QSOM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207596401&sr=8-1 Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/there_will_be_blood/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0469494/mediaindex Or: http://www.paramountvantage.com/blood/ Or register at: http://phepromo.paramount.com/ posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams DVD Features Tangi Miller and Flex Alexander in Marriage-Minded Sitcom
Stormy LaRue (Tangi Miller) is a popular TV talk show
host in For when Nana on her deathbed says her last request is to see her favorite granddaughter happily married, Stormy lies on the spot, saying she’s already engaged and the wedding is in just six weeks. Then, when granny miraculously recovers and announces that she plans to attend, the bride decides to find a guy to fake playing her groom for a day rather than ‘fess up to the fib. This is the familiar point of departure of Love and Other Four-Letter Words, a formulaic sitcom based on a story created by its talented star, Tangi Miller. Despite the plot’s predictability, it is well-enough executed with the help of a colorful supporting cast to be rated a worthwhile rental. Relying on her best friend, Roxanne (Essence Atkins), desperate Stormy begins auditioning potential husbands, only to settle inexplicably on Tiger (Marcus Patrick), a stripper she meets at her assistant Carrie’s (Mary Linda Phillips) birthday party. However, this arrangement soon starts to sour when the hunky boy-toy begins demanding an ever-increasing amount of money to participate in the ruse. Matters become even more messy after possessive Carrie sleeps with Tiger and develops a bad case of Jungle Fever. And further complications ensue when Stormy’s trashy cousins, Frieda (Sandy Brown) and Lucille (Tasha Smith), show up on the scene.
Hope arrives in a
local yokel who’s been there all along, Reverend Arnold Peterson
(Flex Alexander), the minister hired to perform the phone ceremony. Yet another African-American romantic comedy where a damsel-in-distress is rescued by an almost zombie-like perfect gentleman who’s seems a little too good to be true. Good (2 stars) R for nudity, sexuality and profanity. Running time: 87 minutes Studio: Image Entertainment DVD Extras: Audio commentary by Tangi Miller and Flex Alexander, “Behind-the-Scenes” footage, film festival tour featurette, a trailer, and more. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Other-Four-Letter-Words/dp/B0012EBV92/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207406222&sr=8-3 Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0804502/mediaindex posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams DVD Discusses the Perilous Plight of the Planet Due to Global Warming Anyone who watches The 11th Hour is likely to come away convinced that saving the planet from extinction ought to be high atop every advanced and developing nation’s political agenda. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, this chilling expose’ makes an even more convincing case than An Inconvenient Truth that time is of the essence, if there’s to be any hope for humanity to halt the trend towards global warming. Where Al Gore’s Oscar-winner was essentially a “before” and “after” lecture delivered by the former Vice President standing on a stage pointing at a series of slides, this dire documentary features convincing contributions from a diversity of dozens of experts out in the field, including acclaimed physicist Stephen Hawking, CIA Director James Woolsey and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. Backed by damning film footage, their assorted observations combine to lead to the conclusion that there is a burgeoning crisis in terms of climate change which borders on irreversible if allowed to continue unabated. The good news is that most of the blame for the predicament is placed right at the feet of the human race, which means the solution to the problem is also within our grasp. Ironically, it appears that the man-made technological advances associated with the Industrial Revolution simultaneously led to the runaway consumption of fossil fuels now causing the rapid depletion of natural resources. As a consequence of the rise in the Earth’s temperature and the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere, we are witnessing a marked increase in such natural disasters as wildfires, drought, the melting of the ice caps, deforestation, air and water pollution, disease, the depletion of the ozone layer, etcetera. The segment of the scientific community consulted here has arrived at a scary consensus, namely that, left unchecked, this rapid degeneration will inexorably lead to planetary conditions which will no longer support life. Overall, a cautionary tale sounding the alarm that we’re close to the tipping point of wholesale ecological disaster, if not already irreversibly past it. Excellent (4 stars) Unrated Running time: 124 minutes Studio: Warner Home Video DVD Extras: “The Bonus Hour,” more than 60 minutes of extras exploring action plans for rescuing the planet. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/11th-Hour-Kenny-Ausubel/dp/B00005JPXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207323328&sr=1-1 Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/11th_hour/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0492931/mediaindex Or: http://11thhouraction.com/ Or register at: https://www.whvdirect.com posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams DVD Features Samuel L. Jackson as Hobo in Uplifting Bio-Pic Seeing the story as the scoop which could establish him as a journalist to be reckoned with, Erik bribes his reluctant subject with beer to cooperate for a profile. But only after the paper has already published the piece does it learn that the story is a hoax since the real Bob Satterfield had died in 1977. Nonetheless, the picture has been packaged as a feelgood flick, expecting you to be tweaked emotionally by the Champ’s nobly inspiring Kernan to mend fences with his estranged son. Unfortunately, the improbable tale unfolds in an utterly unconvincing fashion, and leaves one wondering how a big city paper could fail to check the basic fact of whether the subject of a cover story was dead or alive. So, it was no surprise to this critic that a little research reveals the movie’s script to bear little resemblance to the real-life events that actually transpired. Turns out that the reporter, J.R. Moehringer, was not fooled by the impostor. Furthermore, instead of ever being an aspiring writer, J.R. was a very-promising Yale grad enjoying a meteoric rise on his way to winning a Pulitzer early in his career. Pardon me for being offended when a flick revolving around the question of journalistic ethics takes so many liberties with the truth simply to spin a tall tale designed to tug on unsuspecting heartstrings. Poor (½ star) Rated PG-13 for violence and brief profanity. Running time: 112 minutes Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment DVD Extras: Cast and crew interviews, and “The Making of” featurette.For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Resurrecting-Champ-Teri-Hatcher/dp/B000YDMPC4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207319659&sr=1-1 Or: http://www.resurrectingthechamp.com/indexFlash.php?page=index Or: http://imdb.com/gallery/ss/0416185 Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/resurrecting_the_champ/photos.php Or register at: http://www.amazon.com/Resurrecting-Champ-Teri-Hatcher/dp/B000YDMPC4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207319659&sr=1-1 posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Robert Redford’s Preachy Anti-War Drama Released on DVD Directed by Robert Redford, Lions for Lambs is a preachy, anti-Bush polemic which repeatedly advances talking points lifted right out of the liberal playbook. Despite several parallel plotlines and dizzying editing designed to suggest a diversity of opinions, the truth is that the picture is essentially advancing only one point-of-view. In 25 words or more, the movie seems to be making the point that: “The War on Terror is really over oil and was orchestrated by greedy, power-hungry right-wing neo-cons who’ve used patriotic buzzwords like ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ as a smokescreen to dupe idealistic poor kids into enlisting in a military with a disproportionate percentage of minorities in its ranks.” Even if you agree with that message, you are unlikely to appreciate the ham-fisted fashion in which this flick forces it down your throat.
Redford himself
stars as pontificating Professor Stephen Malley, a
The story then
abruptly shifts to the A simplistic, if well-intentioned, overindulgence in obviousms. Fair (1 star) Rated R for profanity and violence. Running time: 92 minutes Studio: Fox Home Entertainment DVD Extras: Director’s commentary, several featurettes, previews, and the theatrical teaser and trailer.For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Lions-Lambs-Widescreen-Tom-Cruise/dp/B0013FCWUW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1207313647&sr=8-1 Or: http://imdb.com/gallery/ss/0891527 Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lions_for_lambs/photos.php Or: http://www.lionsforlambsmovie.com/ Or register at: http://press.foxmovies.com/login.php posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Wisdom of Patriot Act Questioned by Consciousness-Raising Documentary If you’ve seen Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, you might remember the comical scene where John Conyers (D-MI) freely admits that neither he nor probably any other members of Congress had actually bothered to read the Patriot Act before allowing it to become the law of the land. Well, Washington, You're Fired is a rabble-rousing call to arms which retraces the bill’s legislative history to expose the 11th-hour shenanigans employed by the Bush Administration to get it passed. For, according to filmmaker William Lewis, narrator of this incendiary documentary, we the people were abandoned by our representatives who irresponsibly gave away an array of our supposedly inalienable rights because they were being pressured in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Lewis says that the 800+ page bill that they voted on had been replaced at the last minute by a version written by Viet Dinh, a Harvard-educated lawyer working at the direction of Attorney General John Ashcroft. Because the members of Congress had capitulated to intimidation rather than take the time to assess the Patriot Act point-by-point, Mr. Lewis says that they violated their Constitutional oaths and thus deserve to be kicked out of office for selling the electorate down the river. If even half of what he alleges is true over the course of this consciousness-raising expose’, then maybe it is high time we heed his advice and throw the bums out, and replace both Republicans and Democrats alike with ordinary folks willing to restore the panoply of rights lost in the wake of 9/11. Watch out, Congress, if this grass roots movement does develop traction, you’re fired! Excellent (4 stars) Unrated Running time: 77 minutes Studio: Bridge Stone Media Group For photos, visit: http://www.washingtonyourefired.com/pressroom_moviestills.html posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Rapper Goes Undercover to Shed Light on Plight of the Homeless Prakazrel Michel,
better known just as Pras, was one of the founding members of the
hip-hop group “The Fugees.” But despite the fame and fortune he has
enjoyed since meeting with success as a rap star, he’s never
forgotten his humble roots, having been born in
This helps explains why in 2006 he
decided to go undercover for 9 days straight, living amongst the
homeless on Skid Row, a 50-block area of Not for the faint of heart, the warts-and-all production features graphic displays of the denizens of this godforsaken environ, whether they’re caught in the midst of private bodily functions, panhandling, avoiding rats, or using drugs and alcohol. There’s even a scene of an addict shooting heroin into his own clenched arm.
And while I suspect that the current
explosion of real estate foreclosures might be changing the
demographics of your typical street person, this film suggests that
most of are either substance abusers or mentally ill. However,
recent news reports of tent cities sprouting up in When not worrying about his own safety, Pras spends his time bonding not only with some of the unfortunates he encounters, but with the cops and counselors assigned to the beat, and with a frantic woman looking for her self-destructive son. The undercover brother conducts revealing interviews at every opportunity, capturing a variety of perspectives that add up to paint a very sympathetic tableau of a sector of the population which generally goes unmentioned in polite society, the proximity of neighboring Beverly Hills notwithstanding. The case of Mike Rodriguez proves to be the most heartbreaking. He’s an addict whose luck seems to change when he wins $100,000 with a scratch-off lottery ticket. But the closing credit postscript regretfully informs us that he rented an apartment and entered rehab only to relapse and die of a drug overdose. A sage reminder to count your blessings for, as Phil Ochs wisely warned, “There but for fortune may go you or I.” Excellent (4 stars) Rated R for drug use and profanity. Running time: 93 minutes Studio: Screen Media Films DVD Deleted scenes, exclusive interviews, plus a commentary with Rosario Dawson and the director.For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Skid-Full-Screen-Pras-Michel/dp/B001152TLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1206645171&sr=1-1 Or: http://www.skidrowthemovie.com/index2.html posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Adaptation of Afghani Best Seller Arrives on DVD Written by Khaled Hosseini in 2003, The Kite Runner is an endearing account of the childhood friendship of two young Afghani boys which unfolds against the backdrop of political turmoil, ranging from the fall of the monarchy to the war with the U.S.S.R. to the rise of the Taliban. But the book has been simplistically adapted here into a safely sanitized tale of camaraderie and betrayal leading to overwhelming regret and, ultimately, a chance at redemption.
Told as a series of flashbacks set
mostly in Initially, the inseparable playmates generally enjoy each other’s company, and forge a powerful bond, despite the class difference. However, this all changes forever the day that Hassan is beaten and raped by a gang of bullies because a fear-gripped Amir who failed to come to his buddy’s assistance.
Before Amir matures enough to explain
his inappropriate response, his family flees to the Unfortunately, the picture fails to engage the audience on a visceral level, in spite of its earnest endeavor to tug on one’s heartstrings. And by the time the closing curtain comes down, the supposedly touching resolution comes off as an anticlimactic afterthought, a surprising rabbit out of the hat reveal notwithstanding. The book was better. What else is new? Fair (1.5 stars) Rated PG-13 for violence, brief profanity, child rape and mature themes. In Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, Russian and English with subtitles. Running time: 127 minutes Studio:Dreamworks Home Entertainment DVD Extras: Commentary by the director and the scriptwriters, theatrical trailer, plus “Words” and “Images” featurettes. For photos, visit: http://www.kiterunnermovie.com/ Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0419887/photogallery Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kite_runner/photos.php posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams DVD
Defends President Carter’s Controversial Stance on In 2006, Jimmy
Carter wrote He says that he’s tough and can take the criticism, but he regrets that rather than addressing the issues, “the debate has degenerated into an ad hominem attack on my character.” Perhaps for this reason, Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (for Silence of the Lambs) decided to make this bio-pic which does its best to restore some luster to the image of its stigmatized subject.
For there is much to admire about this
Nobel Peace Prize-winner, including his work all over the world with
Habitat for Humanity on behalf of the homeless. We also learn that
he donated land to black families in his native Plains,
Still, this movie focuses mostly on the
Palestinian question, and Carter does not budge in his stance that
the While Smiley adopts a slightly empathetic stance, most of the interviewers, here, are circumspect, if not outright adversarial, asking questions like, “Why do you hate Jews?” Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz turns out to be Carter’s most impassioned detractor, playing a tape of a quote taken out of context during which the ex-President refers to the “so-called Holocaust.” Even-handed in
tone, this enlightening and thought-provoking documentary is
proof-positive that Excellent (4 stars) Rated PG for mature themes and brief disturbing images. Running time: 126 minutes Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD Deleted scenes, exclusive interviews, plus a commentary with Rosario Dawson and the director. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Carter-Man-Plains/dp/B0011VIO64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1206111641&sr=1-1 Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/man_from_plains/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0913958/mediaindex Or: http://www.sonyclassics.com/jimmycartermanfromplains/main.html posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Sister Sorors Get Their Chance to Step Dance in Degrading DVD A Year Ago, Stomp the Yard, a movie about step dancing competitions among African-American fraternities, was a surprising #1 hit at the box office. In Showstoppers, we have a similarly-themed straight-to-DVD adventure starring Tamala Jones, Clifton Powell and Dorian Gregory. But instead of revolving around brothers’ routines, this flick showcases the choreography of sisters in sororities.
The story is set at the mythical Unfortunately, the execution of the story leaves a lot to be desired. The script is laced with degrading jokes in which the women teasing each other about having nappy hair, and for being “ragheads,” “tramps” and “skanks.” Since Don Imus’ disgusting remarks about the young women on the Rutgers Basketball team, this sort of humor falls flat, even when coming from the mouths of African-Americans.
Even worse than the dialogue is the
dancing, especially in the film’s finale, a sloppily-staged showdown
against cross-town rival Stomp the DVD! Poor (0 stars) Unrated Running time: 95 minutes Studio: Warner Home Video DVD Extras: A documentary about the more than two million African-American women who are currently members of sororities.For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Showstoppers-Clifton-Powell/dp/B000YERP6Y/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1206108154&sr=8-1 Or register at: https://www.whvdirect.com/ posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Headline: Expose’ of Military-Industrial Complex Comes to DVD
In 2006, Norman Solomon published an
incendiary best-seller which indicted the Military-Industrial
Complex for its employment of perception management techniques to
manipulate the public into reflexively supporting the seemingly
neverending series of American conflicts from
Narrated by Sean Penn, Solomon’s
thought-provoking book has now been brought to DVD as an
equally-unsettling expose’ entitled War Made Easy.
Meticulously-researched, the documentary effectively illustrates an
assortment of parallels between the rationales offered for the
But most chilling are the film’s reams
of recent file footage showing how virtually all of the mass media
eagerly beat the war drums on behalf of the Bush Administration in
anticipation of the invasion of
By contrast, Phil Donahue, whose talk
show was canceled due to his questioning Killing for peace as analagous to fornicating for virginity. Excellent (4 stars) Unrated Running time: 72 minutes Studio: The Disinformation CompanyFor photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/War-Made-Easy-Presidents-Spinning/dp/B00118SUHU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1206052414&sr=8-1 Or: http://www.warmadeeasythemovie.org/gallery.html Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_made_easy/photos.php posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Adaptation of Marquez Masterpiece Steamy but Still Unsatisfying Compromises are in order whenever a novel is being made into a movie, especially a 368-page saga spanning 50 years, which is the case with this literary classic by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is expected that in condensing this imaginative tale of unrequited love into a film some central characters, major themes and pivotal events might have to be conflated, distilled or eliminated entirely in service of the cinematic medium. However, director Mike Newell had an additional challenge to confront for in interpreting the book’s magical realism, a style of prose marked by plotlines grounded in reality offset by surreal flights of fancy. Unfortunately, Newell’s relatively-mundane overhaul fails to reflect any of the original work’s fusion of the everyday with the otherworldly. The upshot is that, excised of its evocative aspects, Love in the Time of Cholera lacks charm and reads about the same as your typical romance novel with a hunky Fabio look-a-like splashed across the cover.
The story is set in the City of Despite the object of his affection’s initial indifference, Florentino professes his undying devotion, and proceeds to wear the poor girl down with his persistencer. Soon, the two start swapping notes and sharing stolen moments together till her mean daddy catches wind of their puppy love liaison. He forces Fermina to end her fling with Florentino and then pressures her into marrying wealthy Dr. Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt). But not even the Urbinos moving overseas can discourage our pigheaded protagonist from impatiently awaiting, for decades on end, the return of the woman he’s convinced was really meant for him. Regrettably, this sorry interpretation of Marquez, substituting serial coupling and uncoupling and gratuitous nudity for spirituality, merely reduces his masterpiece into little more than a titillating, superficial soap opera. Fair (1 star) Rated R for sexuality, nudity and brief profanity. Running time: 138 minutes Studio: New Line Home Entertainment DVD Extras: Alternate and deleted scenes with optional commentary, a theatrical trailer, director’s audio commentary, plus “The Making of” documentary. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Time-Cholera-Benjamin-Bratt/dp/B0011FLH14/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1205451605&sr=1-1 Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0484740/photogallery Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1184086-love_in_the_time_of_cholera/photos.php posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Headline: Fairy Tale Comes to Life in Instant Disney Classic
Giselle (Amy Adams) is a budding young
beauty who lives in
However, after
the heir apparent asks for her hand in marriage, his evil
stepmother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), intervenes and throws a
monkey wrench into the works. She’s reluctant to relinquish the
throne, so she casts a spell which teleports Giselle to a parallel
universe known as
Not only does the
fresh-faced idealist suddenly find herself in an unfamiliar world
where everybody is made of flesh and blood and no longer cartoons,
but she also has to adjust to an unforgiving environment where
people are likely to exploit her innocence. Thus, Giselle, lost and
like a fish out of water on the streets of
The sympathetic,
single-dad offers the doe-eyed stranger a place to stay, and brings
her home to meet his daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey), a development
which doesn’t sit well with his girlfriend, Nancy (Idina Menzel).
Meanwhile, the plot soon thickens since Prince Edward has made his
way from Andalusia to The pivotal question eventually arises whether, when found, Giselle will opt to marry him and return to her idyllic homeland, or if she might now be inclined to stay, provided she can convince the cynical lawyer to give happily ever after a chance. Chock full of intriguing twists and turns, plus many memorable musical numbers, Enchanted is a pleasant escape that’s fun for young and old. All the fixins for an instant Disney family classic! Excellent (4 stars) Rated PG for scary images and mild sexual innuendo. Running time: 107 minutes Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, bloopers, plus a couple of featurettes. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Widescreen-Amy-Adams/dp/B0011U52EC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1205497135&sr=8-1 Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0461770/mediaindex Or: http://adisney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/enchanted/ Or register at: http://www.wdsfilmpr.com posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Headline: Musical Variation on Oliver Twist Arrives on DVD
Although Charles Dickens isn’t credited,
Oliver Twist obviously served as the source of inspiration for this
musical overhaul of his beloved literary classic. Set in the
Institutionalized since birth, he sneaks
off to
There, Evan picks up a guitar
for the first time and, without needing any lessons, discovers that
he can already play like a virtuoso. This development isn’t lost on
Wizard, who dubs the prodigy August Rush and puts him to work in During the film’s opening scene, which is set a dozen years earlier, we learn that Evan was the product of a one-night stand between Lyla (Keri Russell) and Louis (Jonathan Rhys Myers), two ships passing in the night who parted company without even exchanging numbers. Only through sheer determination and a serendipitous series of coincidences does Evan manage to be reunited with the folks responsible for his being born with such magnificent musical genes. A fanciful fairytale successfully blending elements of Oliver Twist, Ferris Bueller, Peter Pan and The School of Rock. Very Good (3 stars) Rated PG for slight violence, mild profanity and mature themes. Running time: 113 minutes Studio: Warner Home Video DVD Extras: additional scenes. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/August-Rush-Freddie-Highmore/dp/B00133KFGW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1204824758&sr=1-1 Or: http://augustrushmovie.warnerbros.com/ Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/august_rush/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0426931/photogallery Or register at: https://www.whvdirect.com/WHVIntl/CDA/User/WHVIntl_Login/0,1212,,00.html?redirectPath=%2FWHVIntl%2FCDA%2FFront%2F0%2C%2C%2C00.html posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Cruel Sitcom Features Steve Carell as Grieving Love Guru Sometimes a film’s premise is too farfetched to believe it for a second. Such is the case with this tawdry tale of betrayal masquerading as a heartwarming romantic comedy. Steve Carrell stars as Dan Burns, a widower with his hands full trying to raise three daughters on his own.
One would think
that as a relationship expert he’d know better than to become
embroiled in a love triangle with his brother’s girlfriend. But
that’s exactly what he does during the Burns clan annual reunion
being hosted by his parents, Nana (Dianne Wiest) and Poppy (John
Mahoney), at their home located along the
The plot
thickens right after Dan and the girls arrive from The two strike-up a casual conversation which ends up lasting hours. Despite the obvious chemistry, they reluctantly part company, unaware that they will be spending the weekend together. Turns out she was invited to the gathering by her boyfriend who just happens to be Dan’s brother, Mitch (Dane Cook). Back at the house, neither lets on that they’d already met. Instead, they opt to compound their dilemma with an increasingly deceitful cover-up as they continue to share some stolen moments. The problems with this morally-reprehensible premise are plentiful, starting with the fact that Dan is secretly stealing Mitch’s woman and from right under his bro’s nose. Plus, there’s the question of what sort of example he’s setting as a role model for his young daughters, and what type of relationship guru would behave in such an unethical fashion. A truly cruel sitcom celebrating a sordid form of sibling rivalry. Poor (0 stars) Rated PG-13 for some sexual innuendo. Running time: 98 minutes Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment DVD Extras: Audio commentary with director Peter Hedges, deleted scenes with director’s commentary, outtakes, plus “The Making of” and two other featurettes. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Dan-Real-Life-Juliette-Binoche/dp/B00118T632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1204819866&sr=1-1 Or: http://daninreallife.movies.go.com/ Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dan_in_real_life/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0480242/photogallery posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Headline: Coen Brothers’ Oscar Winning Best Picture Comes to DVD While hunting
antelope in the desert along the Seizing the satchel, he rushes home to show the windfall to his wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald). But Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a sociopath who has no compunction about eliminating anyone standing between him and the money, becomes aware that Llewelyn is in possession of the loot, and gives chase. Bothered by the fact that a sadist with a penchant for torture is on a grisly killing spree, close to retiring Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) soon joins the pursuit. He’s determined to crack this one last case before quietly slipping off into the sunset.
However, as the attrition-rate continues
to mount, it becomes clear that despite all their experience, the
elusive outdoorsman Llewelyn and the seasoned lawman Based on Cormac McCarthy’s best seller of the same name, No Country for Old Men, winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, is a messy, modern-day Western overlaid with elements of a psychological thriller. As adapted by Ethan and Joel Coen, the haunting whodunit unfolds against the visually-expansive backdrop offered by some sumptuous, big sky panoramas. Oscar-winner Javier Bardem steals the show as the most unnerving screen villain in years, while almost as engaging are Tommy Lee Jones’ performance as an aging gunslinger and Josh Brolin’s as a morally-compromised rogue on the run from a harrowing existential Hell. Excellent (4 stars) Rated R for profanity and graphic violence. Running time: 122 minutes Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment DVD Extras: “Working with the Coens,” “Diary of a Country Sheriff” and “The Making of” featurettes. For photos, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Country-Old-Men-Javier-Bardem/dp/B00118T63C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1204816046&sr=8-2 Or: http://www.nocountryforoldmen.com/ Or: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no_country_for_old_men/photos.php Or: http://imdb.com/title/tt0477348/photogallery Or: www.video.com posted May 3, 2008
DVD Review by Kam Williams Orthodox Jew and Modest Muslim Make Unlikely Friends in Cross-Cultural Comedy
Orthodox Jew Rochel (Zoe Lister Jones)
and modest Muslim Nasira (Francis Benhamou) are both first-year
teachers at a public school in the Flatbush section of For they find that they actually have more in common than one would expect, especially since each of them is a virgin, dresses relatively conservatively for the times, and is saving herself for a man to be chosen by her parents. In Rochel’s case, her marriage is being arranged with help of a matchmaker, while Nasira’s father has already promised his daughter to a middle-aged friend. The similarity of their predicaments enables the blushing brides-to-be to bond, commiserate, and share their worst fears, even if neither is really contemplating rebelling against what’s expected of them. But this doesn’t stop Principal Jacoby (Marcia Jean Kurtz) from attempting to intervene on their behalf. As a reformed Jew and avowed feminist, she feels that the growth of these otherwise brilliant females will be stunted by their submission to the outdated customs dictated by their oppressive patriarchal faiths. Nonetheless, over the course of the school year, Rochel and Nasira flourish as they continue to spend quality time together, carving out a spiritual oasis away from the materialistic concerns of modern society. Directed by Diane Crespo and Stefan Schaefer, Arranged is a Pollyanna-ish throwback to more tolerant days when the differences between a Muslim and a Jew were merely religious, and not magnified by world politics. Even if cross-cultural camaraderie looks a little easy to achieve, here, aren’t movies sometimes supposed to point towards the path of peace and reconciliation, even if perhaps overoptimistically? My Big Fat Muslim and Jewish Weddings! Excellent (3.5 stars) Unrated Running time: 89 minutes |
