Do The Right Thing Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 6/30
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Documentary », Foreign Language », Gay & Lesbian », Independent », New on DVD », Home Entertainment », Cinematical Indie »
"Slim pickings" is the best way to describe this week's releases. Isn't anyone planning to stay home and watch DVDs?
Two Lovers
Joaquin Phoenix can't decide between Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw. Directed by James Gray, this suffocating drama is dark, thoughtful, and "more true to real human existence than most of the dreck that comes out of Hollywood studios," wrote Kim Voynar. I wasn't quite as impressed by it as she was, but it's still my top pick in a slow week. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.
12 Rounds
Wrestler John Cena stars in Renny Harlin's latest train wreck (as I described it in my review), a sober drama that resolutely refuses to embrace its loonier plot elements (fire engine smashing through New Orleans, an out-of-control street car). Aidan Gillen (The Wire) provides one of the few pleasures as an exceptionally-nasty master criminal. Also on Blu-ray. The "Extreme Cut" adds less than three minutes of footage. Skip it.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
I was hoping against hope that this might provide some cheesy fun, but Nick Schager slammed that door shut: "Fighting sequences are dreadfully lethargic ... their choreography is of a dull, unimaginative sort." Not even Kristin Kreuk can save this one. Also on Blu-ray. Skip it.
Also out: Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience.
After the jump: "Indies on DVD" provides several good rental choices, a landmark film by Spike Lee hits Blu-ray, and a long-dismissed effort by director Hal Ashby gets dusted off.
An Ode to 'Fighting''s Roger Guenveur Smith
Filed under: Action », New Releases », Fan Rant »
Maybe a few of you saw Fighting over the weekend; I'd guess that most Cinematical readers chose to steer clear. I kind of liked the film, which is thin and silly but has a nice measured earnestness and is beautifully directed by Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints), a prodigy with a terrific sense of rhythm, motion and place. But the real reason I'd recommend Fighting to all of you is a completely deranged, unmissable performance by one Roger Guenveur Smith. Smith has bided his time over the past couple of decades in B-grade DTV efforts, small roles in Spike Lee films (he was Do the Right Thing's Smiley), and an occasional appearance in something higher-profile, like Ridley Scott's American Gangster. I hope that Fighting earns him some cult popularity and maybe some more interesting work.He plays "Jack Dancing," a New York mobster and streetfighting kingpin who gives Channing Tatum's Shawn his first bout at the urging of hustling small-timer Harvey (Terrence Howard). He doesn't have a lot of screentime, but he takes the movie to a whole new, utterly bizarre level whenever he appears -- and in the process made me laugh harder than almost anything else this year. His performance has been described by others as "Walken-esque," but while Smith is compellingly weird in a similar way (and speaks with a comparable off-kilter cadence), he adds an element of hardass gangster menace that somehow makes the whole thing even funnier.
MTV Honors Wedding Crashers, Jim Carrey, and Spike Lee
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Awards », Fandom », Newsstand »
Apparently the MTV Movie Awards happened last night -- who knew? (I didn't even know MTV showed anything that wasn't a car-wreck-tastic reality show about scary rich girls anymore.) It turns out, shockingly, that MTV viewers are among the 30 zillion Americans who saw and dug Wedding Crashers, so they voted it best movie, named stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson (AKA Wilson #2) best on-screen team, and gave Isla Fisher the award for breakthrough performance. Another big winner was Jake Gyllenhaal who, in addition to taking home the best dramatic performance award, shared the best kiss golden popcorn with Heath Ledger. (Has a same-sex kiss ever been up for anything at MTV and not won? Those crazy kids love their gay macking.)In addition, the ceremony honored Jim Carrey with the MTV Generation Award, whatever that is. Needless to say, he did something annoying when he accepted it (he "took the stage with a cadre of winged angels and performed a spontaneous hip-shaking jig"), though he surely thought it was utterly hilarious. Joining in the crazy fun was poor Spike Lee, who took home the Silver Bucket of Excellence for Do the Right Thing, "a movie from the past that has present-day resonance." While I am fully in favor of lauding Do the Right Thing, the MTV Movie Awards is a rather odd venue for addressing racial tension -- I'm sure Lee's acceptance speech fit in perfectly between Carey's pelvis and Christina Aguilera's half-naked torso.
For those of you who can't get enough of this sort of thing (or who want to look at Jessica Alba -- she's hosting, you know), the show airs Thursday at 830pm eastern time.
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