An Inconvenient Truth, Scoop, Ice Age: The Meltdown, You, Me and Dupree
DVD of the Week
An Inconvenient Truth
Former U.S. veep Al Gore, who fell in his bid for the White House to current president Bush, has always been labelled a less than inspiring speaker, and a man who comes off as bland and boring. But in An Inconvenient Truth, he comes across as a different man -- simply because he is so passionate and committed to the subject of global warming. In this illuminating and fascinating doc, which has earned critical acclaim, Gore is informed, knowledgeable, conversational and persuasive. Gore, much like Clinton and Carter, is trying to do something with his status to help better the world. Long an environmental advocate, Gore knows his stuff. Remarkably, he also makes what could be a difficult subject easy to understand, pointing out key facts and walking viewers through some of the hard-to-understand ideas and problems. He also knows when the audience needs a break and interjects humour. An Inconvenient Truth is the most entertaining yet disturbing way to look at the dangers of climate change. It's about the rapid destruction of our planet due to new technologies. It's about human impact on our earth. It's about the future of our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and ourselves.New releases
Scoop
Heaven help me, I am NOT a Woody Allen fan. Never got the guy, never understood why actors and actresses clamoured to work with him, never thought he was funny. But you know what? Scoop won me over. Of course, it may all be thanks to Scarlett Johansson, but still. Johansson is Sondra Prensky, a college journalist in London who runs into the ghost of big-time journalist Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) thanks to the work of a magician Sid Waterman (Allen). Joe's got information for Sondra from beyond the grave that could mean the biggest scoop of his (and her) life, pertaining to aristocrat Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) and a series of brutal murders happening around London. With Joe's advice, and the help of magician Sid, Sondra investigates Peter, but (predictably) falls in love with him. Is he a killer? Is she in mortal danger? Resembling some of Allen's earlier work, such as Manhattan Murder Mystery, Scoop (I can't believe I'm saying this) is one of the smarter comedies of 2006, joining the ranks of Little Miss Sunshine and Thank You For Smoking.
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Despite what you may think, movie studios are smart. Why attempt to introduce a brand-new cast of characters and storyline when you can rehash the same people you used the first time around, albeit with a bit of tinkering? It paid off most recently with Pirates of the Caribbean, and with Ice Age: The Meltdown. The sequel is exactly what it sounds like: the Ice Age is thawing out, a great flood is imminent and the mismatched trio of Manny, Sid and Diego (voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary) find themselves on another journey together. Unlike the first film, there is no inner group conflict, but rather personal conflict: Manny fears he may be the last mammoth on earth, Diego has a petrifying fear of water, and Sid feels unappreciated by his peers.
When Manny runs into Ellie (Queen Latifah), the only other mammoth left -- who happens to think she's a possum -- Manny brings her and her two possum brothers, Crash and Eddie, along for the ride. The ensuing voyage to get to the end of the valley and escape the flood explores the friendship between the animals, and the feelings Manny and Ellie begin to have for one another. The amazing CGI found in the first film is still here, and the biggest laughs come from Scrat (Chris Wedge), the prehistoric squirrel on his neverending quest to get his acorn. Audio commentary from the directing and producing team are here, as well as a behind-the-scenes peek at the animation process, and a series of outtakes and featurettes. By the way, there is yet another Ice Age movie on the way....
You, Me and Dupree
There are two reasons to watch this run-of-the-mill comedy about newlyweds Carl (Matt Dillon) and Molly (Kate Hudson), who let Carl's best man (Owen Wilson) crash at their place until he finds a job. One is to see if there is an onscreen moment when Hudson and costar Wilson lock eyes and fall in love, leading to her leaving her real-life husband. The other reason is to see the genuinely funny moments that transpire when a couple like Carl and Molly feel their way through their marriage -- and a third wheel shows up and drives them nuts. It isn't going to win any awards, but You, Me and Dupree doesn't try to -- it simply entertains.
Page 1 of 2
An Inconvenient Truth
Former U.S. veep Al Gore, who fell in his bid for the White House to current president Bush, has always been labelled a less than inspiring speaker, and a man who comes off as bland and boring. But in An Inconvenient Truth, he comes across as a different man -- simply because he is so passionate and committed to the subject of global warming. In this illuminating and fascinating doc, which has earned critical acclaim, Gore is informed, knowledgeable, conversational and persuasive. Gore, much like Clinton and Carter, is trying to do something with his status to help better the world. Long an environmental advocate, Gore knows his stuff. Remarkably, he also makes what could be a difficult subject easy to understand, pointing out key facts and walking viewers through some of the hard-to-understand ideas and problems. He also knows when the audience needs a break and interjects humour. An Inconvenient Truth is the most entertaining yet disturbing way to look at the dangers of climate change. It's about the rapid destruction of our planet due to new technologies. It's about human impact on our earth. It's about the future of our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and ourselves.New releases
Scoop
Heaven help me, I am NOT a Woody Allen fan. Never got the guy, never understood why actors and actresses clamoured to work with him, never thought he was funny. But you know what? Scoop won me over. Of course, it may all be thanks to Scarlett Johansson, but still. Johansson is Sondra Prensky, a college journalist in London who runs into the ghost of big-time journalist Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) thanks to the work of a magician Sid Waterman (Allen). Joe's got information for Sondra from beyond the grave that could mean the biggest scoop of his (and her) life, pertaining to aristocrat Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) and a series of brutal murders happening around London. With Joe's advice, and the help of magician Sid, Sondra investigates Peter, but (predictably) falls in love with him. Is he a killer? Is she in mortal danger? Resembling some of Allen's earlier work, such as Manhattan Murder Mystery, Scoop (I can't believe I'm saying this) is one of the smarter comedies of 2006, joining the ranks of Little Miss Sunshine and Thank You For Smoking.
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Despite what you may think, movie studios are smart. Why attempt to introduce a brand-new cast of characters and storyline when you can rehash the same people you used the first time around, albeit with a bit of tinkering? It paid off most recently with Pirates of the Caribbean, and with Ice Age: The Meltdown. The sequel is exactly what it sounds like: the Ice Age is thawing out, a great flood is imminent and the mismatched trio of Manny, Sid and Diego (voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary) find themselves on another journey together. Unlike the first film, there is no inner group conflict, but rather personal conflict: Manny fears he may be the last mammoth on earth, Diego has a petrifying fear of water, and Sid feels unappreciated by his peers.
When Manny runs into Ellie (Queen Latifah), the only other mammoth left -- who happens to think she's a possum -- Manny brings her and her two possum brothers, Crash and Eddie, along for the ride. The ensuing voyage to get to the end of the valley and escape the flood explores the friendship between the animals, and the feelings Manny and Ellie begin to have for one another. The amazing CGI found in the first film is still here, and the biggest laughs come from Scrat (Chris Wedge), the prehistoric squirrel on his neverending quest to get his acorn. Audio commentary from the directing and producing team are here, as well as a behind-the-scenes peek at the animation process, and a series of outtakes and featurettes. By the way, there is yet another Ice Age movie on the way....
You, Me and Dupree
There are two reasons to watch this run-of-the-mill comedy about newlyweds Carl (Matt Dillon) and Molly (Kate Hudson), who let Carl's best man (Owen Wilson) crash at their place until he finds a job. One is to see if there is an onscreen moment when Hudson and costar Wilson lock eyes and fall in love, leading to her leaving her real-life husband. The other reason is to see the genuinely funny moments that transpire when a couple like Carl and Molly feel their way through their marriage -- and a third wheel shows up and drives them nuts. It isn't going to win any awards, but You, Me and Dupree doesn't try to -- it simply entertains.
Page 1 of 2
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