Top Stops
What's going on tonight?
Sound Bets
Music with a local flavor
Dine & Dash
D.C. eats in quick bites
Booze Clues
D.C. deals:drink them in
Off the Cuffs
Style and error
Broadcast Muse
Small screen, big ideas
The Reelist
Get a movie on
Baggage Check
Ask Dr. Andrea Bonior
Swengali
Sports talk with attitude
DURING THIS YEAR'S OSCARS, the Academy showcased a tribute to horror films and included — perhaps as a nod to the presenters of the vignette, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart — a clip from "New Moon," the latest film in the "Twilight" series. Horror, however, this is not, unless you consider "it's-scary-how-seriously-this-movie-takes-itself" a new genre of terror.
But if you listened to the screams of frenzied prepubescent, teen and even adult female fans everywhere, there's nothing not to love about "New Moon," which comes out on DVD on March 20. Visually, it improves upon the special effects used in the previous "Twilight," which may be thanks to the first film's huge success at the box office. And in terms of attractive young men, there are two battling for Bella's (Stewart) affection: Robert Pattinson, who plays the icily delicious vampire Edward Cullen, and the aforementioned Lautner, who plays Jacob Black, a werewolf trying to steal Bella's heart. Sure, Lautner was in "Twilight," but back then he was a gangly, long-haired kid — now, to the glee of panting fans, he has a shorter coif and a more muscular build, the kind of physique that should really get Team Jacob fans cheering.
Having a pretty face, though, doesn't necessarily mean you can act, and in that sense, "New Moon" is almost as torturous as "Twilight."
Continue Reading "Just Some Pretty Faces: 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' DVD" »
DURING THE FINALE of "Breaking Bad's" second season, Walter White Jr. (RJ Mitte) is describing his dad, Walter White Sr. (Bryan Cranston), to a television reporter: "He's a great father and teacher," Walter Jr. says. "He knows everything there is to know about chemistry. He's patient with you and he's always there for you. He's just decent. He always does the right thing, and that's how he teaches me to be."
"Would you say he's your hero?" the reporter asks.
"Oh, yeah," he responds. "Yes, ma'am. Totally. My dad is my hero."
Where most fathers would be beaming with pride, we see Walter Sr. growing alarmingly uncomfortable, sweat dripping from his forehead, his mouth grimacing before a sharp cut. It's a dark moment of realization for Walt — one where the guilt and shame for his actions take over.
You see, Walt isn't exactly the role model his son thinks he is.
Continue Reading "An Imperfect Man: 'Breaking Bad,' Season Two DVD" »
YOU CAN'T MAKE an action movie without vengeance. "Taxi Driver," "The Dark Knight," "Death Wish," "The Crow" — all of them had revenge-seeking guys who wouldn't stop until they wronged the injustice in the world. Without payback, you got nothin'.
But while the original "Boondock Saints,"— released in 1999 — oozed with righteously violent awesomeness and earned a cult following for its stylized fight scenes and scarily relatable message (Honestly, what's so wrong with killing all the world's drug dealers and mob bosses?), its sequel, "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day," lacks most of that charm. Released to DVD on Tuesday, the film certainly made more than its original in box office returns — it actually made a profit — but there's just something about it that's not quite right.
Could it be the 10 years between the two films, a decade that's aged its main actors, Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus, who play the MacManus brothers? Is it the brief amount of screentime given to Willem Dafoe, who was so fantastic in the original as balls-to-the-wall FBI agent Paul Smecker? Or is the plot just too full of unnecessary twists and turns, while the original was refreshingly straightforward? Take your pick.
Continue Reading "Revenge Isn't Always Sweet: 'Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'" »
"YOGA MELTDOWN" ($14.98) — featuring "Biggest Loser" trainer Jillian Michaels — and "The No OM Zone" ($14.95) — taught by Kimberly Fowler, who owns California's YAS Fitness Centers — offer a similar take on yoga: It's awesome for you, but you don't need to chant or use flowery language to see results.
» Breakdown: The two half-hour workouts on "Yoga Meltdown" are designed to give you the benefits of a body sculpting class, combining cardio with power poses that try all of your muscles. (Expect a whole lot of "rep it out.") "The No OM Zone" is split into three 15-minute, feel-good segments that target the upper body, lower body and core. Some moves are challenging, but don't expect to sweat.
» Audience: Michaels' fans might be surprised to see her so ... not mean. It's a change that may help her also appeal to more experienced yogis looking for an extra calorie burn. Fowler's straight-talking, welcoming style is ideal for newbies who are short on time.
VOGUE EDITOR ANNA Wintour is oft vilified for her ice queen persona and — thanks to a deliciously frosty performance by Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada" — unrivaled ranking as World's Bitchiest Boss. But while Wintour's withering gaze can make even the most lauded designer quake in his Gucci loafers, she's recently begun to expose a side of herself that is wholly sympathetic — and maybe even a little bit sad.
Nothing has been more revealing than the excellent documentary about Vogue, "The September Issue," released on DVD Tuesday (we suggest you spring for the special $30 Barnes & Noble version, which offers exclusive behind-the-scenes extras). On the surface, the film doesn't do much to refute Wintour's "Nuclear Wintour" nickname: For most of the film, she's cast as the humorless counterpart to colleague Grace Coddington's happy creativity. But closer inspection reveals a surprising isolation.
Yes, she's revered, but you have to wonder: Does she ever just grab a beer, kick back and have a good laugh? It might appear that she has everything — right down to subservient assistants and next season's Prada — but it looks pretty lonely at the top.
Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
AS CARMELA IN "The Sopranos," Edie Falco didn't take guff from anyone (well, except for Tony, but who didn't kowtow to Tony?). And thankfully, she brings that same sort of steeliness and resolve to her starring role in "Nurse Jackie" — the show couldn't work without it.
The Showtime series, whose first season wrapped up in August and is now out on DVD ($25.99), focuses on emergency room nurse Jackie Peyton (Falco), who has worked at Manhattan's All-Saints Hospital for years and has learned to navigate between nurses, doctors and management to get her way.
Continue Reading "Vigilante Medicine: 'Nurse Jackie,' First Season on DVD" »
IF YOU'VE WATCHED enough horror movies, you'll figure out one thing real fast: The skank must die. Unsurprisingly, you're in for a major slashfest with "Sorority Row."
The reality-star-packed film, which comes out on DVD this week ($16.99) and is a remake of the 1983 flick "The House on Sorority Row," has most of modern horror's most important elements: Scantily clad (and needlessly topless) girls, gratuitous violence and silly twists that don't really make sense.
And while the movie is actually less violent than the original -- which had more decapitations and grotesque characters -- it's also a little less satisfying, as the switches in the remake's plot aren't very well thought out. Like, oh hey, a girl decides to fake her own death so her boyfriend will feel guilty about cheating on her -- who actually does that? If your guy was enough of a jerk to cheat on you, then he probably wouldn't care if you died. Just a thought.
Continue Reading "Sisters in a Slasher: 'Sorority Row' on DVD" »
IF YOU'RE GOING to get stuck in the wilderness, what are you going to take with you? Probably water, so you stay hydrated. Maybe a Swiss army knife, in case you need to cut ropes or branches, or even try to kill something. And, if you're lucky, perhaps you'd get stuck with either Bear Grylls of "Man vs. Wild" or Les Stroud of "Survivorman." They're both the kind of super-manly dude you'd probably want on your side when facing crappy weather, unfriendly animals or any other bad condition.
After all, Grylls and Stroud have dealt with some of the worst situations imaginable, as documented on a pair of DVDs being released by the Discovery Channel this week, "Man vs. Wild: Stranded Around the World" ($14.98) and "Survivorman: Alone in the American Wilderness" ($14.98). Each collection contains four of the host's most dangerous trips, with Grylls facing off against the African Savannah, Ecuador's Andes mountains and Amazon rainforest; the Siberian tundra; and Turkey's Anatolian Plateau. Stroud sticks stateside and takes on Utah's harsh Canyonlands; Georgia's swampy Altamaha River Basin; the Sierra Nevadas; and the Colorado Rockies.
Continue Reading "Man vs. Survivorman: 'Man vs. Wild' and 'Survivorman' on DVD" »
JUST A FEW minutes into the Norwegian horror flick "Dead Snow," as a gaggle of fit twenty-somethings are climbing up a steep mountain slope to their remote vacation cabin, one of the characters comments that it's just like the set-up for a horror movie. That's an unfortunate burst of winking self-awareness, suggesting that the next 90 minutes will blur the lines between homage and outright theft. And sure enough, "Dead Snow" contains all the hallmarks of a post-"Scream" scarer. Those jump cuts of ominous tools in the shed? Pure Sam Raimi, circa "Evil Dead 2." That arm amputation? Ibid. That cheeky acknowledgement of horror rules? Totally Kevin Williamson. That "Brain Dead" t-shirt? That's the European title of Peter Jackson's notorious grisly zombie flick "Dead Alive."
Out on a 2xDVD set from IFC Films, "Dead Snow" is not, however, a self-impressed deconstruction of horror motifs, which is an approach that hasn't been fresh in years (despite current efforts to reboot the "Scream" franchise). Once the movie gets its fanboy references out of its system, it settles into a comfortable action-movie pace, more concerned with finding new ways to show gore and guts than with rehashing how others have done it in the past. To his credit, director Tommy Wirkola displays a thorough and sly understanding of American horror and its practitioners.
ABC'S SCI-FI DRAMA "FlashForward" seems to have all the ingredients for a successful show: an unusual premise, thought-provoking questions and a mystery that unravels a little bit more every week.
The show's premise is that the entire world blacks out for about two minutes, and every individual sees him- or herself, six months in the future. Even without specific characters, the plot alone invites questions about the blackout's cause and the accuracy of individual visions (or "flashforwards").
Yet sometimes having all the right ingredients still isn't enough, and the show — currently on a lengthy 4-month break and scheduled to return on March 18 — has had a significant drop in ratings over its first 10 episodes. ABC seems eager to encourage viewers to catch up during the break, as the first part of the season is being released on DVD today" (a mid-season DVD release is an interesting strategy, although with a show this complex, potential fans are more likely just to wait a few weeks to see if the show is renewed for a second season before investing the time to catch up).
Continue Reading "Lost in a Flash: 'FlashForward' Season One, Part One DVD" »
Addison Road