Little Screen
Published Friday June 12th, 2009
This week's new releases, by Jay Bobbin of Zap2it, are rated on a scale of one to four, with * equivalent to a poor rating and **** meaning excellent.
FRIDAY THE 13TH
**
With all the sequels there were to the original thriller, you might think there already had been a remake, but this violence-fest is the official update of the first film.
Jared Padalecki ("Supernatural"), Amanda Righetti ("The Mentalist") and Danielle Panabaker ("Shark") are among the familiar faces from television whose characters congregate at Crystal Lake for a weekend they'll never forget -- for all the wrong reasons, thanks to vengeful and murderous Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears).
DVD extras: "making-of" documentary; deleted scenes.
TYLER PERRY'S
MADEA GOES TO JAIL
***
There's little doubt what happens to the title character -- played again by Perry, also the writer, producer and director here -- as he gets in touch with his feminine side again for this comedy.
Madea hardly is the most docile woman you'll meet, and her rough-around-the-edges style lands her behind bars. She befriends a prostitute (Keshia Knight Pulliam, way past her "Cosby Show" image) and makes her mark with other inmates as well. Other co-stars include recent Oscar nominee Viola Davis ("Doubt"), Derek Luke and Vanessa Ferlito.
JESSE STONE:
THIN ICE
***
Two years elapsed between CBS' airings of the previous movie about the small-town police chief and this one, but the ratings proved viewers still embraced Tom Selleck's portrayal of the flawed Robert B. Parker character.
Here, Stone tries to find those responsible for a shooting attack that left a colleague seriously wounded, and he also follows a missing-child case through surprising twists.
Camryn Manheim ("The Practice") and Leslie Hope ("24") join a cast that includes returnees Kathy Baker and William Devane.
EVERWOOD:
THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
***
It's been some time since the release of the first DVD set of the drama series seen on the former WB Network, so fans are sure to embrace this installment of the saga of a widower doctor (Treat Williams) and his children, relocated from New York to Colorado.
His music prodigy son (Gregory Smith) falls deeply for the new baby sitter (Sarah Lancaster, "Chuck"), while a family friend (Emily VanCamp, "Brothers & Sisters") is caught in an emotional whirlwind following a tragedy.
Tom Amandes continues his enjoyable performance as her father, a rival doctor who isn't the warmest fellow in town.
SAVING GRACE:
SEASON TWO
***
Oscar winner Holly Hunter continues her image-redefining role as a ferociously independent Oklahoma City police detective in this TNT drama series.
Guided by an unlikely savior named Earl (Leon Rippy), Grace starts out on a heroic note in this set of episodes, only to come under Internal Affairs scrutiny shortly afterward. Christina Ricci guest stars in several stories as a rookie Grace is teamed with.
Other continuing cast members include Laura San Giacomo, Kenny Johnson and Lorraine Toussaint.
BURN NOTICE:
SEASON TWO
***
Miami-based former intelligence operative Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) gets closer to finding out who had him "burned" -- or fired, leaving him with no protection and a lot of enemies -- in this second round of the stylish, smart USA Network series.
While he continues to get occasional help from his IRA veteran ex-girlfriend (Gabrielle Anwar), he suspects another woman (Tricia Helfer, "Battlestar Galactica") has a lot to do with his plight and how he got into it.
Sharon Gless also continues as Westen's mother, with Bruce Campbell as his shady pal.
DVD extras: "making-of" documentary; audio commentary by cast and crew members; deleted scenes; outtakes.
Coming soon:
CONFESSIONS
OF A SHOPAHOLIC
June 23
A compulsive shopper (Isla Fisher) lands a job at a money magazine. Co-stars include Hugh Dancy, John Goodman and John Lithgow.
INKHEART
June 23
A man (Brendan Fraser) who can bring fictional characters to life tries to put a villain back in the book he came out of. Helen Mirren also appears.
THE PINK PANTHER 2
June 23
Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) isn't the only clumsy sleuth around, joining forces with others to recover stolen valuables. Jean Reno and Andy Garcia co-star.
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
June 23
The recent Oscar winner for best foreign language film, this unique, animated drama follows an Israeli man as he tries to fill in the blanks in his war-related memories.
JONAS BROTHERS:
THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE
June 30
Popular Disney-approved musical siblings Joe, Kevin and Nick take to the stage and also show what their lives are like out of the spotlight.
STREET FIGHTER:
THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI
June 30
Kristin Kreuk ("Smallville") plays an athletic young woman who goes up against a crime-syndicate chief (Neal McDonough) and his minions; Chris Klein also stars.
n Little Screen appears in Life & Times each Friday.
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