4 Razors

Bareback Mountain

  • Title: Brokeback Mountain
  • IMDB: link

brokeback-mountain-poster

Brokeback Mountain seems to be this year’s belle of the ball garnering seven Golden Globe nominations.  Is it the best film of the year?  No, but it’s pretty darn good.  Garnering huge attention for it’s detailed look at the secret homosexual relationship between two cowboys Ang Lee gives us an intriguing tale that just like Heath Ledger’s character desperately wants to say more than it is knows how to.

The story involves the secret relationship of Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) which begins one summer as the two cowboys herd sheep up on Brokeback Mountain.  A physical relationship develops between the two that picks up years later as both men have moved on with their lives, settled down and married.  On fishing trips back to Brokeback the two bask in the joy of being together knowing that the outside world will never accept them and they can only truly be together on the mountain.

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The Rumors are True

  • Title: Rumor Has It…
  • IMDb: link

Rumor Has It...

What if you found out that a well known book and film were based off the real experiences of your family?  That’s what happens to Jennifer Aniston’s character as she realizes that, for her family, The Graduate may just have some added meaning.

Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston) is going through a crisis.  She’s unsure about her recent engagement to Jeff (Mark Ruffalo) and is traveling back home with him for her younger sister Anne’s (Mena Suvari) wedding.  All this anxiety is nothing compared to what will happen next.  A discussion with her grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) and her mother’s best friend (Kathy Bates) lead her to believe that the book and movie The Graduate was written about her family.  She travels to San Francisco to find the man who romanced both her mother and grandmother, Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), looking for answers and wondering if this man could be her father and if not will she fall under the same spell as her mother and grandmother?

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Serenity Soars on DVD

  • Title: Serenity
  • IMDB: link

serenity-dvdA TV show made into a movie; a movie made into a DVD.  Although a hit with a small and vocal fan base (and a fair amount critical support), Joss Whedon’s sci-fi western never found a home and was cancelled after only twelve episodes.  Whedon’s drive and the fans furvor wouldn’t allow the series to die and Universal Pictures stepped in to provide the opportunity to continue to explore these characters in a feature film now available on DVD.

In a year that brought us Episode III of the Star Wars saga, Speilberg’s re-interpretation of War of the Worlds, the clones of The Island the best movie of the genre by far is Joss Whedon‘s Serenity.  The well designed and lived in ‘verse of the television show is recreated and retold as a cinematic event that still stays true to the original tale while adding layers and depth to the original story.

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The Rainbow Connection

  • Title: The Muppet Movie
  • IMDb: link

Jim Henson’s The Muppet Movie remains one of the fondest memories of my childhood. It begins with a frog, a banjo, and a dream.  The “approximate” retelling of how the Muppets met and made their way to Hollywood is still a joy over twenty-five years later.  There’s just something tangible about the Muppets that even the best CGI hasn’t been able to achieve.

We begin in the swamp where Kermit the Frog dreams about a life in Hollywood.  Hearing from a passerby Bernie the agent (Dom DeLuise) that there are openings for frogs in Hollywood Kermit leaves the swamp to make his dreams come true.  On the way he picks up companions such as Fozzie the Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Ralph the Dog, and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.  The road to Hollywood is not without it’s bumps however.  Kermit and his new friends must deal with the spurned Doc Harper (Charles Durning) who desperately wanted Kermit for the spokesman for his Frog Legs Restaurant.  Kermit’s constant refusals make Hopper mad enough to make sure Kermit has hopped off his last lily pad.

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Simply the Best

  • Title: Bret “Hitman” Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be
  • IMDB: link

Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will BeBret Hart wasn’t as strong as Hulk Hogan, as quick as the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, as titillating as Shawn Michaels or as controversial as Steve Austin.  What Bret Hart brought to the ring was a professionalism and a strong work ethic to always put on the best show for the fans.  Beloved all over the world Bret was able to make every opponent raise the bar and put on the best matches of their career.  This collection is a wonderful reminder of the Hitman’s career.

The documentary begins by chronicling the life of Bret Hart growing up in Calgary with his large family.  All of Bret’s older brothers were involved in the wrestling business run by Bret’s father Stu Hart.  From the age of four Bret would sit and watch matches and learn about the sport that would later make him a star.  His early amateur background is chronicled as well as his work in Stampede Wrestling for his father.

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