ACT OF VALOR
YOU’D BE BETTER OFF BUYING THIS AT AMAZON!
FEATURING ACTIVE DUTY NAVY SEALS…just not active duty actors.
COCKTAIL
All of the Elisabeth Shue hotness with none of the Elisabeth Shue bleeding out the butt. Dive in.
THE COLOR OF MONEY
Some great work here in a very…iffy film. But hey – “iffy” Marty is better than most people on their best day – unless you’re talking Cape Fear.
ERIN BROCKOVICH
BUY IT FROM AMAZON…IF YOU’RE INTO THAT SORTA’ THING.
Soderbergh shows the world that Smiley has boobies.
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Ford and Fonda handle Steinbeck in this Depression-era set bit of pain.
HONDO
I’m holding out for the Blu Ray 3D.
JOHN CARTER
Unfairly maligned, John Carter is a fun, lighthearted action-adventure with its heart on its sleeve. It’s the work of an imaginative, passionate filmmaker and a talented cast. Does it reinvent the wheel? No – but neither do a ton of the highest grossing and most beloved films of our or any other day. If you’re a film fan, and you sat on the sidelines and laughed while this film tanked, you deserve the Michael Bay enema you get every summer.
JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
I’m one of the biggest proponents of 3D cinema you will ever find. Have been since I was a little one.
Guess what I didn’t bother seeing in the theater…?
A PERFECT WORLD
I remember thinking really highly of this film upon its release. Haven’t seen it since. I’m sure that, like many Eastwood directorial efforts, it will have fallen apart by now.
SEA OF LOVE
BUY IT FROM AMAZON!
Pseudo-noir “cops-hunt-a-killer” riff with Penny Priddy as the Prime Suspect. One of those films that acts as a mile-marker for Al Pacino’s journey to batshit acting choices. He’s not there yet – he’s about forty miles out.
SCENT OF A WOMAN
Pacino’s about twenty miles out now.
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT
We’re eastbound just watchin’ ol’ Bandit run. Proof positive that Hal always comes through when you Needham.
Christ, I hate myself.
THE STING
Loved this movie when I was wee – probably another one that doesn’t hold up. Guess we’ll find out.
ZORBA THE GREEK
Anthony Quinn. Mining! Laughing! Dancing! Living!
Act of Valor
Act of Vengeance
Alfie Boe: Alfie Live
Arn, The Knight Templar: The Complete Series
Bad Ass
Blood Work
Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season
Cocktail
The Color Of Money
David Garrett: Legacy Live in Baden-Baden
Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season 1, Part 1
Falling Skies: The Complete First Season
Flame Over India
For The Love Of Benji
Garanca / Alagna / Nezet: Seguin / Metropolitan Opera: Bizet: Carmen
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
The Grapes Of Wrath
Hit So Hard
Hondo
Hoosiers
John Carter
John Mellencamp: It’s About You
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Machine Gun Preacher
NFL: New York Giants Road to XLVI
Paul Simon: Under African Skies
A Perfect World
Ransom
Safe House
Scent Of A Woman
Sea Of Love
Seven Days In Utopia
Smokey And The Bandit
The Sting
Twilight Zone: Fan Favorites
Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection
U.S. Marshals
Workaholics: Season 1 & 2
WWE: Biggest Matches in ECW History
Zorba The Greek
CAVEAT: As it happens, I was traveling on business all week, and haven’t had time to preview a single new album. So listed below are some new releases I (and you) may or may not enjoy:
NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE – AMERICANA
Potential good news: first Young/Crazy Horse combo in nearly a decade. Potential bad news: the songs are older than Young himself (including “Tom Dooley” and “Oh Susannah,”). Still, can’t wait to hear the “original, widely misinterpreted deleted verses” from “This Land Is Your Land.”
THE BEACH BOYS – THAT’S WHY GOD MADE THE RADIO
In one of his many previous comebacks, Brian Wilson wrote a song that linked the creation of rock and roll with 12th century church music; here, he’s really going back to the source. They sounded OK on the Grammys, I guess.
PATTI SMITH – BANGA
Eight years on since Smith’s last album of original material, featuring the usual suspects (including Kaye and Daugherty) as well as guests including Tom Verlaine, who doesn’t get out as much as he should.
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO – BIG STATION
Since beating hepatitis, and shifting his emphasis from string quartets to Telecasters, Escovedo’s on a roll, with three consecutive knockout albums (The Boxing Mirror, Real Animal, Street Songs of Love). I have high hopes for the grand slam here.
OTHER NOTABLE 6/5 RELEASES:
Eric Benet, The One
Big K.R.I.T, Live From The Underground
Brandi Carlile, Bear Creek
Circus Maximus, Nine
Shawn Colvin, All Fall Down
Curren$y, The Stoned Immaculate
Fear Factory, Industrialist
The Hives, Lex Hives
Alan Jackson, Thirty Miles West
Japandroids, Celebration Rock
L.A. Guns, Hollywood Forever
Melvins, Freak Puke
Rhett Miller, The Dreamer
Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Big Moon Ritual
Paul Simon, Graceland (25th Anniversary Edition CD)
Chris Squire & Steve Hackett, Life Within A Day
Temper Trap, The Temper Trap
Joe Walsh, Analog Man
MADAGASCAR 3: THE VIDEO GAME (PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS, DS)
It’s E3, so all we get this week is is a video game with “video game” in the title. Is Madagascar 3: The Video Game the Hot Dog… The Movie of video games? Yes. Yes it is.
If we overlook the naming convention, at least Hot Dog… The Movie had boobies – which means something to a kid. If the Madagascar franchise means something to your kid, you’re a lousy parent.
FIN.