December Lambeth

We’re here to keep you informed on hot choices for renting or buying new DVD releases. Released this week: Underworld – Evolution, Firewall, Running Scared, Glory Road, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (2-Disc Collector’s Edition), Dazed & Confused – Criterion Collection, Charmed – The Complete Fifth Season, The Wild Wild West – The Complete First Season, Entourage – The Complete Second Season

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Underworld – Evolution – They’re back, the vampire and the werewolf hybrid, and this time they are in love. Underworld Evolution tries a little too hard to make a short romance in a horror film and loses sight of the original ideas behind Underworld, it gets confusing. It’s great that the producers of the film got past actors to return (let us not forget one of them is married to the director), but the story is pretty far fetched. Then again, we are talking about the mysterious world of vampires and werewolves, of course it’s going to be out there, but who suspected a complete loss and total confusion for what should have been a fun and simple horror flick. The directors got off track with the CGI and costuming, originally they were so proud at costuming the first film, just like An American Werewolf in London, but in part two they depended on some pretty crappy CGI and some of the costumes don’t match up. The DVD does boast a few fun extras and the film itself is a brainless popcorn flick. It’s good times if you don’t look too far into the story and just enjoy the fun of monster gore. Check out Alan’s past review on Underworld – Evolution.

Firewall – Here is a more than needed complex film with Harrison Ford trying to pull off a hi-tech security geek, an “Average Joe” out to save his family from a group of kidnapping bad guys. Truly not the least bit convincing and boring at times; surprising to see actors like Harrison Ford and Award Winning (after Sideways) Virginia Madsen in a film as lame and typical as Firewall. This film has been done multiple times in many different equations, lets put it to rest and move on to more inventing storylines. Check out Alan’s past review on Firewall.

Running Scared – In all fairness, I have not seen this film and have yet to hear one good thing about it. Somewhere along the lines of mobsters, gunfire, drugs, pedophile child abuse, rape, all done in the most distasteful way, just doesn’t interest me and shouldn’t most. But don’t just believe me; check out Alan’s past review on Running Scared.

Glory Road -A true inspiring story about a basketball coach and his team competing in the southern university lineup for a championship against all odds. The true story is their battle with racism and discrimination; the coach recruits seven black players from the Bronx and starts up to three at a time. During the 60’s teams very seldom had more than three black players and seldom started more than two at a time. Not only do the players have to standup to other teams and their white players, but their own team and university. A typical underdog story that rises to the occasion with wit and humor to soothe some of the more tense moments in the film. The team went on to compete in the NCAA Championships with the first ever all black team lineup.

Special Editions:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (2-Disc Collector’s Edition) – One of the best, if not the best, westerns of all times. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with Robert Redford and Paul Newman should go down in history books, good old fashion filmmaking with heroes and bad guys, train and bank robberies, horseback chase scenes through sweeping landscapes all mixed together with good looks, romance, chivalry and old fashion comradery. The two cowboys travel across country committing petty robbery and laying back at the local saloons and bordellos, all along being chased by the law and some of the best trackers money can hire. Through the mountains and across the plains holding up in Bolivia and returning to their no good ways, causing trouble with the South American law and possibly biting the bullet in the end. Good times to be had here and it’s a 2-disc set, hell yes, with alternate scenes, the making of, a documentary of “The Wild Bunch: The True Tale of Butch & Sundance” and interviews. Don’t miss out!

Dazed & Confused – Criterion Collection – Don’t Bogart the remote, dude. Really, what explanation is needed for this comedic cult weed-loving classic? Rottentomatoes gave it a thumbs up. Dazed & Confused the Criterion Collection comes with a whole 50-minute documentary, booklet and poster, groovy now you can giggle along with the stoners and see how it all works.

TV:

Charmed – The Complete Fifth Season – I can’t believe this WB series has made it as far as 5 seasons; what are they up to now, like 10 seasons? Just goes to show how far 3 cute asses in tight leather with low cut shirts can get you. No seriously, when the show first started out with the 3 sister witches going through their new powers and learning how to keep themselves protected from all that is evil and keep the world safe too, it was okay, but when one sister dropped out and another showed up and shortly after a baby, things went south. Season 5 still has Cole the sexy evil demon who use to date Phoebe and the two still have it for each other, but Cole can’t get his act straight, I think he bites it somewhere in Season 5, but I’m not for sure. Leo and Piper have the baby and goes through baby safety problems and marital issues. And Paige does her basic flailing around looking for Mr. Right and her place in the circle.

The Wild Wild West – The Complete First Season – Does anybody remember Wild Wild West? I do, it was an awesome little 007 type TV show, but with cowboys instead. Started in the mid 60’s and ran for 4 seasons with 24-28 episodes per season. Two cowboys, debonair James West and gadget geek Artemus Gordon, work as secret agents for President Grant. The two sweep through the western side in their highly technical train saving the day and shutting down crime in a gentlemanly way. James West is the handsome lighthearted rouge that saves the day and takes all the physical risk, while Artemus Gordon is the overly cautious sidekick who creates all the wonderful gadgets to help James along. Fun and easygoing adventure show with all kinds of cool technical gadgets that would put any of our new 007 films to shame.

Entourage – The Complete Second Season – Read details about the rising stardom here at HBO.

Vince has an eclectic film background, everything from an obnoxious sidekick in Swingers, single dad in A Cool Dry Place, crazy slicer and dicer in Clay Pigeons and a recent run of comic relief spots in Dodgeball, Anchorman, Starsky & Hutch, Be Cool, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and now The Break-Up. Vince isn’t discriminatory towards any script and certainly doesn’t back down from being the sexy hot guy that every woman wants to take home or the ugly scruffy bar fighter that every woman wants to kick out the front door. He does what he knows best and that’s being himself, when he doesn’t step into uncharted waters like he did in A Cool Dry Place.

Vince Vaughn
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According to movie trivia Vince enjoys a glass of wine and the film Little Darlings anytime, other rumors have it that he’s a Pabst beer drinker and isn’t afraid to back down from a bar fight to help out a buddy. Well, if you couldn’t tell by the run of films, he’s not afraid to back down from anything offered up. Did you know that he played Norman Bates in Psycho and a love slave in The Locusts?

Here are some of my favorite Vince Vaughn pics.

Swingers Vince plays Trent Walker, the pain in the butt buddy who screws everything up, cause that’s just his luck (way). Jon Favreau’s hot cult film of the 90’s still holds strong today, if you have not seen Swingers then you are truly missing out on some funny Vince and Jon action. Trent tries to get his buddy Mike back out in the social scene again, he has left his girlfriend behind in New York to head off to LA and make it big as a star. Truly Mike’s girlfriend broke up with him and he’s not taking it so easy. Trent goes out of his way and makes a complete fool of himself in the process of bar hopping and hitting on the ladies.

A Cool, Dry Place A single father abandoned by his wife in New York tries to make it on his own in rural Kansas. He is a high-powered attorney who is taking it easy on his career and focusing on raising his son, he also volunteers as the local high school basketball coach. He meets his love interest through one of his ball players and tries to balance a returning wife and his new girlfriend with raising his son and taking all the crummy cases at the office. Russell (Vince Vaughn) decides he is tired of living the low life and wants to give it a run as a bigwig lawyer again. When his wife runs off with their son he thinks twice about leaving him with his own father and heading off to the big city. Changing his mind he comes back home and apologizes to Beth (Joey Lauren Adams), his soon to be ex-girlfriend if he hadn’t returned, and he fixes things with the local firm he was working for. Finally, a happy ending.

Clay Pigeons Lester Long (Vince Vaughn) is a psychotic woman killer, who goes around sleeping with every easy girl he can find and then kills them in the process. Clay (Joaquin Phoenix) gets hooked up with Lester and doesn’t realize he’s a crazy freak show who gets his jollies off of slicing up women until bodies start to show up at his fishing hole. Clay Pigeons is an odd little film that leaves you a little queasy at times, but you can’t put it down till you see what happens to all the characters in the ending. No worries, it’s not too gory, the director leaves more up to your imagination than showing to us on the screen.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story This film is funny in every wrong way possible. Overall a bad movie, but great fun. Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor make one funny duo and when you add a little splash of Vince Vaughn how could you go wrong. The only thing that would have made this film funnier would to have had Will Ferrell in it somehow. A play off of sports and competition showing the couch potato who goes to the gym for social hour still has a chance to win the hot chicks and loads of cash. It is a True Underdog Story and the rival between the not so manly efforts of Globo Gym and the oddities of Average Joe’s keeps the audience in stitches. Stephen Root’s (Office Space) plays one of the funniest characters in the film, got to love his ability to add humor to any situation. Dodgeball, with it’s over the top exaggerated humorous events and it’s entertaining mockery of macho man sports is a summer fun must see.

Wedding Crashers Vince Vaughn is an absolute riot in this film. He will tickle your funny bone and he’s easy on the eyes. Owen Wilson does a fairly good job, but his character called for a little romance and Owen can’t do the whole sweet sincere and funny thing together. The creators of Wedding Crashers should have left it at funny; they should have let the audience see more wedding crashing and marriage mediation and less montage of cutting wedding cakes and eating. If you were a big fan of any of the American Pies, then Wedding Crashers will be sure to entertain. There are some really wrong scenes where Vince Vaughn’s character runs into a completely psycho girl who claims to be a little more innocent than what she truly is and she chases after him with much vigor. Owen’s character, on the other hand, finds the life of crashing parties and sleeping around a little too daunting and decides to fall in love with a big wigs daughter. She, of course, is taken and he must prove that he is worthy. Wedding Crashers could be a laugh-a-thon, not as committed to the humor as it should be, but worth a watch.  Read what our own Tim Dodd thought in his original review.