X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Two-Disc Edition + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:16:40 +0000

Product	X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Two-Disc Edition + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]
Manufacturer	20th Century Fox
ASIN	B001GCUO16
List Price	$39.99
Price	$27.99
Rating

Product Description
Wolverine, fan favorite of the X-Men universe in both comic books and film, gets his own movie vehicle with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a tale that reaches way, way back into the hairy mutant’s story. Somewhere in the wilds of northwest Canada in the early 1800s, two boys grow up amid violence: half-brothers with very special powers. Eventually they will become the near-indestructible warriors (and victims of a super-secret government program) known as Wolverine and Sabretooth, played respectively by Hugh Jackman (returning to his role) and Liev Schreiber (new to the scene). It helps enormously to have Schreiber, an actor of brawny skills, as the showiest villain; the guy can put genuine menace into a vocal inflection or a shift of the eyes. Danny Huston is the sinister government operative whose experiments keep pullin’ Wolverine back in, Lynn Collins is the woman who shares a peaceful Canadian co-existence with our hero when he tries to drop out of the program, and Ryan Reynolds adds needed humor, at least for a while. The fast-paced early reels give an entertaining kick-off to the Wolverine saga, only to slow down when a proper plot must be put together–but isn’t that perpetually the problem with origin stories? And despite a cool setting, the grand finale is a little hemmed in by certain plot essentials that must be in place for the sequels, which may be why characters do nonsensical things. So, this one is fun while it lasts, if you’re not looking for a masterpiece, or an explanation for Wolverine’s facial grooming. –Robert Horton

Stills from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Click for larger image)

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Australia [Blu-ray]

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:01:49 +0000

Product	Australia [Blu-ray]
Manufacturer	20th Century Fox
ASIN	B001PPGAIK
List Price	$39.99
Price	$25.99
Rating

Product Description
Watching the early reels of Australia, there’s certainly no doubt who’s in charge: this could only be a film by Baz Luhrmann, that wacky purveyor of all things over-the-top. In this old-fashioned, 165-minute hymn to his native continent, Luhrmann travels back to the late 1930s/early ’40s, for a scenario that would not have been out of place at MGM in that era. Straightlaced Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) journeys Down Under and is put under the protection of–crikey–a rugged cattle driver known only as the Drover (Hugh Jackman). When the two are forced to team up (along with a motley crew of misfits) to take a herd of cattle through the hostile landscape, their way is challenged by the dastardly plans of the local beef baron (Bryan Brown) and his elaborately evil lieutenant (David Wenham). At some point you realize that this film’s main commodity is not cattle, but corn: Luhrmann piles on the melodrama and the old-school climaxes with his usual frantic glee. Employing “When You Wish Upon a Star” and the Japanese air force to make his case is not beyond Luhrmann, and he reaches big here. Those with a taste for un-ironic silliness might just go for this stuff, but even fans of the Baz will have their patience tested by the broad comedy and the absence of discernable chemistry between Kidman and Jackman. Australia does manage to skewer the culture’s prejudices against the Aboriginal people, but in this context such a victory comes across as rather tinny. –Robert Horton

Beyond Australia on Blu-ray

The Secret Life of Bees

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Mamma Mia!

Stills from Australia (Click for larger image)

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Moviecog Makes Movies Go » Hugh Jackman

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Two-Disc Edition + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

Australia [Blu-ray]