Cars, Little Man, Wordplay
DVD of the Week
Cars
After a glut of children's movies with animals lately (Hoodwinked, Over the Hedge, Ice Age 2, etc.), Cars is a welcome upshift in the genre. With nary a talking badger, squirrel or meerkat in sight (they'd be roadkill in this movie anyway), Cars is a heartwarming story of race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), who is full of himself. Lightning, a shiny red vehicle, is a rookie racing sensation whose life in the fast lane has left him little time for friends. On his way to what could possibly be the most important race in his life, Lightning runs into some trouble with the law and finds himself forced to spend time in Radiator Springs, a tiny town located off Route 66.
An homage to the bygone days of family road trips, Cars evokes memories of a time when one of the most popular ways to spend a vacation was to pack up the kids and travel around America, stopping in little out-of-the-way towns filled with friendly folks. Cars is no different, with such actors as Paul Newman, Cheech Marin and Bonnie Hunt lending their vocal talents. The highlight? Larry the Cable Guy as Tow Mater (say it fast), a well-meaning tow truck just short of all his spark plugs. As for extras, there's one behind-the-scenes feature, a 16-minute glance at director John Lasseter's influences with regard to the making of Cars. There's also a new cartoon for the DVD, "Mater and Ghost Light," and four deleted scenes (in storybook format with voices) show a darker tone the movie may have taken at one point. Best is the short "One Man Band," which appeared in theatres with the film. New releases
Little Man
The Wayans brothers (Keenan, Marlon and Shawn) are responsible for a passel of films (White Chicks, Scary Movie) that will never -- ever -- be misinterpreted as Oscar-worthy. But that's not what they're aiming for. They're making movies for high-school kids and immature guys -- movies with boob jokes, swear words and men and boys taking shots to the groin. Little Man has all three in copious amounts as Marlon is digitally transposed onto the body of an actual midget so that he can play Calvin, a bad-tempered thief who's trying to retrieve a humongous diamond from the purse of Vanessa (Kerry Washington, Ray), the buppie wife of Darryl (Shawn Wayans, Scary Movie 2). Darryl wants to have a child -- and he gets one when Calvin arrives on his doorstep, dressed in baby clothes. Much like the Bugs Bunny cartoon where a miniature mobster dresses as a baby to steal a bunch of money, Calvin delivers kicks, head-butts and blunt object trauma to groins for 98 minutes. It's beside the point to argue whether or not this is funny; blows to the groin either make you laugh or they don't. If they do, seek Little Man out -- you won't be disappointed.
Wordplay
Never in a million years would I imagine that the story behind the New York Times crossword puzzle -- and the people who create them and those that ferociously try to solve them -- would be so darn interesting. But, like Spellbound -- a doc about spelling bees -- Wordplay is. The documentary proves that a good theme, a sincere effort and some interesting, quirky characters can make even the most remote of subjects fascinating and moving. Watching the Daily Show's Jon Stewart, former U.S. president Bill Clinton and other famous folk work feverishly at the crossword humanizes them in a way few things can. If there is anything that unites us all, it is the need to solve something -- like Lost or our own Word Scramble -- and to go through the process of cracking it.
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Cars
After a glut of children's movies with animals lately (Hoodwinked, Over the Hedge, Ice Age 2, etc.), Cars is a welcome upshift in the genre. With nary a talking badger, squirrel or meerkat in sight (they'd be roadkill in this movie anyway), Cars is a heartwarming story of race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), who is full of himself. Lightning, a shiny red vehicle, is a rookie racing sensation whose life in the fast lane has left him little time for friends. On his way to what could possibly be the most important race in his life, Lightning runs into some trouble with the law and finds himself forced to spend time in Radiator Springs, a tiny town located off Route 66.
An homage to the bygone days of family road trips, Cars evokes memories of a time when one of the most popular ways to spend a vacation was to pack up the kids and travel around America, stopping in little out-of-the-way towns filled with friendly folks. Cars is no different, with such actors as Paul Newman, Cheech Marin and Bonnie Hunt lending their vocal talents. The highlight? Larry the Cable Guy as Tow Mater (say it fast), a well-meaning tow truck just short of all his spark plugs. As for extras, there's one behind-the-scenes feature, a 16-minute glance at director John Lasseter's influences with regard to the making of Cars. There's also a new cartoon for the DVD, "Mater and Ghost Light," and four deleted scenes (in storybook format with voices) show a darker tone the movie may have taken at one point. Best is the short "One Man Band," which appeared in theatres with the film. New releases
Little Man
The Wayans brothers (Keenan, Marlon and Shawn) are responsible for a passel of films (White Chicks, Scary Movie) that will never -- ever -- be misinterpreted as Oscar-worthy. But that's not what they're aiming for. They're making movies for high-school kids and immature guys -- movies with boob jokes, swear words and men and boys taking shots to the groin. Little Man has all three in copious amounts as Marlon is digitally transposed onto the body of an actual midget so that he can play Calvin, a bad-tempered thief who's trying to retrieve a humongous diamond from the purse of Vanessa (Kerry Washington, Ray), the buppie wife of Darryl (Shawn Wayans, Scary Movie 2). Darryl wants to have a child -- and he gets one when Calvin arrives on his doorstep, dressed in baby clothes. Much like the Bugs Bunny cartoon where a miniature mobster dresses as a baby to steal a bunch of money, Calvin delivers kicks, head-butts and blunt object trauma to groins for 98 minutes. It's beside the point to argue whether or not this is funny; blows to the groin either make you laugh or they don't. If they do, seek Little Man out -- you won't be disappointed.
Wordplay
Never in a million years would I imagine that the story behind the New York Times crossword puzzle -- and the people who create them and those that ferociously try to solve them -- would be so darn interesting. But, like Spellbound -- a doc about spelling bees -- Wordplay is. The documentary proves that a good theme, a sincere effort and some interesting, quirky characters can make even the most remote of subjects fascinating and moving. Watching the Daily Show's Jon Stewart, former U.S. president Bill Clinton and other famous folk work feverishly at the crossword humanizes them in a way few things can. If there is anything that unites us all, it is the need to solve something -- like Lost or our own Word Scramble -- and to go through the process of cracking it.
Subscribe to TV Guide and SAVE! Click here.
Page 1 of 2
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