Little Screen
Published Friday November 20th, 2009
This week's new releases, available Tuesday, are rated by Jay Bobbin of Zap2it on a scale of one to four, with H equivalent to a poor rating and HHHH meaning excellent.
ANGELS & DEMONS
***
Tom Hanks reunites with director Ron Howard in reprising his role from "The Da Vinci Code," symbologist Robert Langdon, in another Dan Brown story that involves a race to save the Vatican from destruction.
An anti-matter device has been set to explode and kill the cardinals charged with selecting a new pope, and several preceding murders leave clues that Langdon tries to connect in time to thwart the larger plot.
Co-stars include Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgaard and Armin Mueller-Stahl.
DVD extras: seven "making-of" documentaries.
FUNNY PEOPLE
***
This lengthy but enjoyable story is about comedians, but not all of the content is humorous as writer-producer-director Judd Apatow teams Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen.
Sandler plays a comedy star who learns he has only a limited time left to life, so he makes an admirer (Rogen) his assistant and protege.
Leslie Mann, Apatow's wife, is in a supporting cast that also includes Eric Bana, Jonah Hill ("Superbad"), Jason Schwartzman ("Bored to Death") and -- as themselves -- comics Ray Romano, Paul Reiser, Norm Macdonald and Sarah Silverman.
FOUR CHRISTMASES
***
The jig is up for a family-avoiding couple (Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, also producers of the movie) whose usual holiday getaway is foiled by fog in an amusing tale helped greatly by a strong cast.
A spontaneous television interview reveals they couldn't leave San Francisco for Fiji, so they feel obligated to visit each of their divorced parents ... his played by Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek, hers by Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen, past Oscar winners all.
Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Favreau and country-music star Tim McGraw also turn up.
DVD extras: five "making-of" documentaries; deleted scenes; outtakes.
BEVERLY HILLS, 90210: THE EIGHTH SEASON
***
No one knew then that she would win the best actress Oscar twice (so far) but, before she attained movie stardom, Hilary Swank found steady employment for about half a year on this popular, Aaron Spelling-produced drama series.
Her character, Carly Reynolds, is a single mom who finds romance with Steve (Ian Ziering).
Elsewhere, Brandon and Kelly (Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth) make plans to marry, and brooding Noah Hunter (Vincent Young) enters the life of Donna (Tori Spelling).
THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION
****
Several of the most classic plays staged live on the home screen in the 1950s -- most of which became feature films later -- are compiled in this Criterion Collection set.
Rod Steiger stars as a butcher looking for love in "Marty"; Andy Griffith plays a boisterous military recruit in "No Time for Sergeants"; Jack Palance portrays a boxer bracing for post-fight life in "Requiem for a Heavyweight"; Paul Newman is a baseball player helping an ill teammate in "Bang the Drum Slowly"; and Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie are cast as an alcoholic couple in "Days of Wine and Roses."
Also included is the Rod Serling-written corporate power struggle drama "Patterns."
DVD extras: audio commentaries by, and interviews with, cast and crew members; booklet.
LAREDO: THE COMPLETE SERIES,
1965-1967
***
At a time when television Westerns still were plentiful, this NBC-broadcast saga starred Neville Brand, Peter Brown and William Smith as Texas Rangers with respective personal reasons for wanting to serve the cause of justice. Their boss is played by Philip Carey, who would go on to a long run on the ABC daytime serial "One Life to Live."
Coming soon:
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN
Dec. 1
Exhibits come to life once more, as do historic figures including Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), in the comedy-fantasy sequel. Ben Stiller stars again.
TERMINATOR SALVATION
Dec. 1
Christian Bale assumes the role of John Connor, who remains mankind's biggest hope as he tries to prevent the cyborgs from destroying what remains of the human race.
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
Dec. 8
The young wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) seeks the key to defeating Lord Voldemort's minions while also trying to deal with matters of the heart.
* Little Screen appears in Life & Times each Friday.
JULIE & JULIA
Dec. 8
A blogger (Amy Adams) decides to re-create all the recipes in one of famed chef Julia Child's (Meryl Streep) cookbooks in this two-stories-in-one comedy from director Nora Ephron.
PUBLIC ENEMIES
Dec. 8
Depression-era gangster John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) in director Michael Mann's drama. Oscar winner Marion Cotillard also stars.
THE HANGOVER
Dec. 15
When a man vanishes just before his wedding, his groomsmen comb Las Vegas to find him. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis star.
Oldies but goodies -- If your local video store is fresh out of the newest titles, give these attractions a try:
BOYS DON'T CRY
1999
****
Hilary Swank won her first Academy Award for the true story of Brandon Teena, who became a hate-crime victim after others learned he was born a "she."
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION
1989
***
The Griswold clan has a memorable yuletide, to say the least, as patriarch Clark (Chevy Chase) goes wild in this modern classic.
PUNCHLINE
1988
***
Sally Field plays a housewife who gets help from an aspiring comedy star (Tom Hanks) as she pursues a path to success in stand-up humour.
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