Tune to The 2 Guys Named Chris Show every Monday to get the scoop on the latest new films and releases to DVD from a Canadian point of view. Julie Crawford, Film Critic for The Vancouver Courier, gives her two cents worth every Monday morning on Rock 92.
March 4, 2013
by Biggie Josh Ellinger,posted Mar 8 2013 9:20AM
In Theaters
21 And Over
21 And Over comes courtesy of the writers of The Hangover, so they know a thing or two about debauched nights on the town. The film borrows from The Hangover, Old School, and Road Trip, among others, and if you’re over the age of 25 you’ve definitely seen it before. Two guys (Miles Teller and Skyler Astin) try and convince their friend Jeffchang (Justin Chong) to go out and party for his 21st birthday. Despite the fact that Jeffchang has a really old-school father and a big interview the next day he agrees to go out for “just one beer”. And as everyone knows, nothing good ever followed that sentence. The rest of the movie features the guys trying to get an incredibly drunk Jeffchang home in time for his interview. Along the way there is mechanical bull-riding, a stampeding buffalo, angry sorority girls, beer pong and a love interest (Sarah Wright) thrown in for good measure.
DVDs
Red Dawn
This is a remake of the 1984 film starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen and C. Thomas Howell. Back then it was the Russians, now it’s the North Koreans who land on American soil and take over. A small group of teens form a resistance group called The Wolverines and help to take down the entire North Korean army. The remake has no teeth compared to the original, wooden performances by the leads (Josh Peck, in particular), and nonsensical gunplay. This new version was filmed in 2009 and it sat on the shelf until Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson made it big (Thor, The Hunger Games respectively). No special features on the standard disc.
The Intouchables
France’s entry for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Oscars is based on the true story of a quadriplegic French millionaire (Francois Cluzet) who is tired of being pandered to by caregivers, and decides to hire a street tough from the projects named Driss (Omar Sy), who is just at the job interview to fulfill his welfare requirements. Driss has no idea what he is doing but is a breath of fresh air for Philippe, and the two men learn about themselves through learning about one another. Great performances; a real feel-good film, which broke all box-office records in France.
Playing For Keeps
George (Gerard Butler) is a former European soccer star who has moved stateside to be closer to his son and his ex-wife (Jessica Biel), who is about to remarry. George ends up coaching his son’s soccer team, and becomes the prey of horny soccer moms, including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer and Uma Thurman, all of whom are under-utilized in embarrassing roles. Dennis Quaid has a few funny moments; Biel has one or two nice scenes, but otherwise this is a mess. If you like Butler, see "Dear Frankie" instead.
Wreck-It Ralph
An old-school arcade game character called Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is tired of being the bad guy all the time. So, on the 30th anniversary of his game, he attends a BAD-Anon group and decides to change his destiny, proving to everyone that he can be a true hero. One of the most inventive films in years, Wreck-It Ralph was nominated for Best Animated Film but lost out to Brave. Kids will love the sharp animation and video game premise; adults will appreciate the message about how people can change, while spotting all the old-school video game references (Burger Time!). Deleted scenes, video game commercials, a making-of extra, and the Oscar-winning short "Paperman" are included on the blu-ray disc.
