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(01/26/06 5:00am)
The business of sports gambling has no rules, except to win. Inspired by a true story, "Two For the Money" took audiences for a ride when it came out in theaters back in October, and now plans to do the same with it's recent release on DVD.\nMatthew McConaughey ("Sahara," "A Time To Kill") stars as former hotshot quarterback Brandon Lang, who works a lousy job making sports picks in Las Vegas until Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) comes a calling. In a matter of days, after getting a job offer from Abrams, Lang hops on a plane to New York in order to act as a gambling advisor making large sums under Abrams while also picking up a posh new life. \nAfter changing his appearance, his attitude and even gaining an alias, Lang becomes one of the top men to rely on in this multibillion-dollar business. His genius ability to pick winners rockets him to levels of riches he never thought of, but the question is if he can maintain his streak.\nOne would think that if "Two For The Money" is inspired by a true story then the DVD must be packed with special features that impress even after the final credits. Well they would be right. "Two For The Money" has the usual feature commentary and deleted scenes that come with almost all DVDs, which isn't special, but the featurettes are what really cash in well. The extensive making of featurette really impressed me, as it includes interviews from the writer, director, actors and producers unlike some films who just use a couple people.\nThe real moneymaker is the insider interview with the person who the story is based from. A great and long interview between him and the screenwriter covered all areas of not only the movie, but also real life sports gambling. The real-life Lang explained how he got into the business, what the business was like and how he convinced Hollywood to take his real life story.\nThis DVD is a great one to buy if you are at all interested in a business that brings in $200 billion dollars a year. The movie is truly entertaining because the story is more original compared to most movies today. I highly suggest you pick "Two For The Money" out of the deck of movies at the video store if you are interested in a well acted and compelling true story.
(01/26/06 12:47am)
The business of sports gambling has no rules, except to win. Inspired by a true story, "Two For the Money" took audiences for a ride when it came out in theaters back in October, and now plans to do the same with it's recent release on DVD.\nMatthew McConaughey ("Sahara," "A Time To Kill") stars as former hotshot quarterback Brandon Lang, who works a lousy job making sports picks in Las Vegas until Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) comes a calling. In a matter of days, after getting a job offer from Abrams, Lang hops on a plane to New York in order to act as a gambling advisor making large sums under Abrams while also picking up a posh new life. \nAfter changing his appearance, his attitude and even gaining an alias, Lang becomes one of the top men to rely on in this multibillion-dollar business. His genius ability to pick winners rockets him to levels of riches he never thought of, but the question is if he can maintain his streak.\nOne would think that if "Two For The Money" is inspired by a true story then the DVD must be packed with special features that impress even after the final credits. Well they would be right. "Two For The Money" has the usual feature commentary and deleted scenes that come with almost all DVDs, which isn't special, but the featurettes are what really cash in well. The extensive making of featurette really impressed me, as it includes interviews from the writer, director, actors and producers unlike some films who just use a couple people.\nThe real moneymaker is the insider interview with the person who the story is based from. A great and long interview between him and the screenwriter covered all areas of not only the movie, but also real life sports gambling. The real-life Lang explained how he got into the business, what the business was like and how he convinced Hollywood to take his real life story.\nThis DVD is a great one to buy if you are at all interested in a business that brings in $200 billion dollars a year. The movie is truly entertaining because the story is more original compared to most movies today. I highly suggest you pick "Two For The Money" out of the deck of movies at the video store if you are interested in a well acted and compelling true story.
(01/19/06 5:00am)
In their first animated movie, directors Cory and Todd Edwards took on a large task, trying to surpass the many great animated movies of modern cinema. They might need another shot to conquer that feat as "Hoodwinked" did not live up to expectations. Despite a great trailer, the newest CGI movie was not as funny as suggested.\n"Hoodwinked" is a movie branching off the old story of "Little Red Riding Hood." The movie starts from the end, working backwards to unveil the motive for charges drawn at Granny's (Glenn Close) cottage, which includes breaking and entering, disturbing the peace, intent to eat and wielding an axe without a license. Since there were four individuals involved in the incideny - Red (Anne Hathaway), Granny, the Wolf (Patrick Warburton), and the Woodsman (Jim Belushi) - there must be four stories of what happened. \nMost of the film revolves around these stories, told by each character, and it comes to light that the same incident might be tied to the notorious Goody Bandit who forced many people in the food business into unemployment after stealing their recipes.\nWhile "Hoodwinked" did have its moments, they were few and far between. There were a few jokes derived from "Mission Impossible" and "XXX," but they weren't enough to help make the Edwards brothers' first stab at animation become a success. There was nothing in the movie that consistently made the audience laugh or yearn for more like a successful movie should do.\n"Hoodwinked" tries to emulate great animated movies like "Shrek" and "The Polar Express," but fails not only as an entertaining movie but also in image quality. The animation is poor and lacks that wow factor that people have come to expect when they go see an animated film these days.\nQuite frankly I would have rather laid back in the comfortable seats of the movie theater and taken a nap than watch a strung out plot line with very little reason to laugh or become stunned because of the extraordinary things Hollywood can do with animation. So while you're considering a movie to go see for this weekend, I would recommend something else. There's really no reason to see a film that can be substituted with the sleep you got from the night before.
(01/19/06 1:36am)
In their first animated movie, directors Cory and Todd Edwards took on a large task, trying to surpass the many great animated movies of modern cinema. They might need another shot to conquer that feat as "Hoodwinked" did not live up to expectations. Despite a great trailer, the newest CGI movie was not as funny as suggested.\n"Hoodwinked" is a movie branching off the old story of "Little Red Riding Hood." The movie starts from the end, working backwards to unveil the motive for charges drawn at Granny's (Glenn Close) cottage, which includes breaking and entering, disturbing the peace, intent to eat and wielding an axe without a license. Since there were four individuals involved in the incideny - Red (Anne Hathaway), Granny, the Wolf (Patrick Warburton), and the Woodsman (Jim Belushi) - there must be four stories of what happened. \nMost of the film revolves around these stories, told by each character, and it comes to light that the same incident might be tied to the notorious Goody Bandit who forced many people in the food business into unemployment after stealing their recipes.\nWhile "Hoodwinked" did have its moments, they were few and far between. There were a few jokes derived from "Mission Impossible" and "XXX," but they weren't enough to help make the Edwards brothers' first stab at animation become a success. There was nothing in the movie that consistently made the audience laugh or yearn for more like a successful movie should do.\n"Hoodwinked" tries to emulate great animated movies like "Shrek" and "The Polar Express," but fails not only as an entertaining movie but also in image quality. The animation is poor and lacks that wow factor that people have come to expect when they go see an animated film these days.\nQuite frankly I would have rather laid back in the comfortable seats of the movie theater and taken a nap than watch a strung out plot line with very little reason to laugh or become stunned because of the extraordinary things Hollywood can do with animation. So while you're considering a movie to go see for this weekend, I would recommend something else. There's really no reason to see a film that can be substituted with the sleep you got from the night before.
(01/12/06 5:00am)
Ripping off the famous "family meets the significant other" story plot, "The Family Stone" is about Meredith Morton's (Sarah Jessica Parker) attempt to win over her boyfriend's family over the Christmas holiday. Through the many tests the family throws at them, Meredith and her boyfriend, Everett (Dermot Mulroney), question whether they are made for one another. \n While "The Family Stone" features a great cast anyone can appreciate, there isn't another aspect of the film to compliment the stars. The writing is poor at best as it never establishes some of the character's personalities. This winter I would recommend one to take a trip to see their own family rather than to see this family bomb.
(01/12/06 1:32am)
Ripping off the famous "family meets the significant other" story plot, "The Family Stone" is about Meredith Morton's (Sarah Jessica Parker) attempt to win over her boyfriend's family over the Christmas holiday. Through the many tests the family throws at them, Meredith and her boyfriend, Everett (Dermot Mulroney), question whether they are made for one another. \n While "The Family Stone" features a great cast anyone can appreciate, there isn't another aspect of the film to compliment the stars. The writing is poor at best as it never establishes some of the character's personalities. This winter I would recommend one to take a trip to see their own family rather than to see this family bomb.
(10/20/05 4:00am)
Throw Will Ferrell into the "Bad News Bears" and change the sport to soccer and you have "Kicking and Screaming." After directing such films as "How High" and "American Wedding," Jesse Dylan, son of musician Bob Dylan, has come out with his third and most recent movie, but unlike his first two movies, "Kicking and Screaming" is aimed more toward kids.\nWill Ferrell stars as Phil Weston, a normal caring dad who takes over as coach for his son's rag-tag pewee soccer team. Realizing that he knows nothing about coaching and scared of his competitive father (Robert Duvall), who coaches in the same league, Phil goes to his dad's neighbor Mike Ditka for coaching help. Ditka, who plays himself, jumps at the opportunity to beat Phil's dad and tries to guide Phil in the right direction. Along the way Phil becomes less of the caring father he once was and more of a caffeine-addicted competitive psycho.\nEven with Will Ferrell taking the lead in this movie, one of the highlights has to be seeing Mike Ditka act. Iron Mike's attitude adds a whole new dimension to comedy -- it's hilarious to see one of the most intimidating football coaches of all time working beside Will Ferrell.\nThe DVD is packed. While it doesn't have the typical director's commentary, which was disappointing, it has everything from deleted scenes to four-behind-the-scenes featurettes to show what it was like to create this movie. The featurettes go over things from a soccer camp needed in order to improve the players' soccer skills to in-depth and hilarious interviews with the kids. But the best part out of the entire special feature section might actually be the outtakes. It is definitely a must-see because of idiotic mistakes the actors make, especially Will Ferrell and Mike Ditka.\nIf you are looking for a Will Ferrell movie similar to "Old School" and "Anchorman" then you will be sadly disappointed. Since "Kicking and Screaming" doesn't stack up against most comedies, it is a nice twist to Ferrell's interesting career. This isn't a well-acted or a well-made film, but it is quite enjoyable if you are looking for a light comedy with a few good laughs.
(10/20/05 3:10am)
Throw Will Ferrell into the "Bad News Bears" and change the sport to soccer and you have "Kicking and Screaming." After directing such films as "How High" and "American Wedding," Jesse Dylan, son of musician Bob Dylan, has come out with his third and most recent movie, but unlike his first two movies, "Kicking and Screaming" is aimed more toward kids.\nWill Ferrell stars as Phil Weston, a normal caring dad who takes over as coach for his son's rag-tag pewee soccer team. Realizing that he knows nothing about coaching and scared of his competitive father (Robert Duvall), who coaches in the same league, Phil goes to his dad's neighbor Mike Ditka for coaching help. Ditka, who plays himself, jumps at the opportunity to beat Phil's dad and tries to guide Phil in the right direction. Along the way Phil becomes less of the caring father he once was and more of a caffeine-addicted competitive psycho.\nEven with Will Ferrell taking the lead in this movie, one of the highlights has to be seeing Mike Ditka act. Iron Mike's attitude adds a whole new dimension to comedy -- it's hilarious to see one of the most intimidating football coaches of all time working beside Will Ferrell.\nThe DVD is packed. While it doesn't have the typical director's commentary, which was disappointing, it has everything from deleted scenes to four-behind-the-scenes featurettes to show what it was like to create this movie. The featurettes go over things from a soccer camp needed in order to improve the players' soccer skills to in-depth and hilarious interviews with the kids. But the best part out of the entire special feature section might actually be the outtakes. It is definitely a must-see because of idiotic mistakes the actors make, especially Will Ferrell and Mike Ditka.\nIf you are looking for a Will Ferrell movie similar to "Old School" and "Anchorman" then you will be sadly disappointed. Since "Kicking and Screaming" doesn't stack up against most comedies, it is a nice twist to Ferrell's interesting career. This isn't a well-acted or a well-made film, but it is quite enjoyable if you are looking for a light comedy with a few good laughs.
(09/29/05 4:00am)
For the first time, Nick Park's three Oscar-nominated animated shorts have been put together on one DVD introducing, "Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures." While only two of the films came away with the Academy Award, this British-based franchise has quietly become popular all around the globe for its claymation. Crazed inventor Wallace and his dependable dog Gromit make up the only characters who consistently play a part in these 30 minute shorts. "Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out," "Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers" and "Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave" make up this DVD. In each of the stories the tandem is put in danger by a machine that went unexpectedly wrong. While Wallace is a respectable but clumsy character that continues to make many mistakes, he relies heavily on his dog Gromit to bail him out of these situations. Whether Gromit can respond to the problem is another question.\nAll three of these films are very charming and funny, but the most enjoyable part of this DVD is the ten three-minute shorts, "Crackling Contraptions." While these are very short and don't have the story development of the other three, they manage to pack more of a quick and simple comedic punch.\nAmongst all of these shorts there is also a behind-the-scenes to "Crackling Contraptions" and a sneak preview to their upcoming feature film, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." With the numerous shorts on the disc it would be hard to imagine Dreamworks not inserting that into the mix. The behind-the-scenes feature explains each character and how they animated each shot, which is quite fascinating if you would like to know where the characters came from and how the crew did some minor work, but it does not stack up against most movies. Odds are the things that you wonder about are not covered in this short feature and there is nothing left to turn to in order to find out with exception to their Web site listed in the credits. Most surprisingly, there was no director or producer commentary to go along with the shorts like most movies, which was pretty disappointing to say the least.\nWhile the special features didn't amaze, the "Wallace & Gromit" shorts were great and definitely worth seeing more than once. They also incite anticipation for the feature film. Andy MacCormack, director of photography, put it best by saying, "Kids from age six to 60 will love that. There's a kid inside all of us." I couldn't agree more.
(09/29/05 1:03am)
For the first time, Nick Park's three Oscar-nominated animated shorts have been put together on one DVD introducing, "Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures." While only two of the films came away with the Academy Award, this British-based franchise has quietly become popular all around the globe for its claymation. Crazed inventor Wallace and his dependable dog Gromit make up the only characters who consistently play a part in these 30 minute shorts. "Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out," "Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers" and "Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave" make up this DVD. In each of the stories the tandem is put in danger by a machine that went unexpectedly wrong. While Wallace is a respectable but clumsy character that continues to make many mistakes, he relies heavily on his dog Gromit to bail him out of these situations. Whether Gromit can respond to the problem is another question.\nAll three of these films are very charming and funny, but the most enjoyable part of this DVD is the ten three-minute shorts, "Crackling Contraptions." While these are very short and don't have the story development of the other three, they manage to pack more of a quick and simple comedic punch.\nAmongst all of these shorts there is also a behind-the-scenes to "Crackling Contraptions" and a sneak preview to their upcoming feature film, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." With the numerous shorts on the disc it would be hard to imagine Dreamworks not inserting that into the mix. The behind-the-scenes feature explains each character and how they animated each shot, which is quite fascinating if you would like to know where the characters came from and how the crew did some minor work, but it does not stack up against most movies. Odds are the things that you wonder about are not covered in this short feature and there is nothing left to turn to in order to find out with exception to their Web site listed in the credits. Most surprisingly, there was no director or producer commentary to go along with the shorts like most movies, which was pretty disappointing to say the least.\nWhile the special features didn't amaze, the "Wallace & Gromit" shorts were great and definitely worth seeing more than once. They also incite anticipation for the feature film. Andy MacCormack, director of photography, put it best by saying, "Kids from age six to 60 will love that. There's a kid inside all of us." I couldn't agree more.