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Home (Re)Viewing: The Duke slays vampires
It’s slim pickins’ yet again at the video store this week, with no new releases inspiring great enthusiasm. The catalog titles provide the best viewing, thanks to the Duke.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada: Rarely have I had such a polarized reaction to a movie. On the one hand, I greatly admired Tommy Lee Jones’ directorial debut and his willingness to take chances with the storytelling and play with time as he lays out the mystery of a Mexican’s death. On the other hand, I think Jones tried too hard to be offbeat and unusual. The leaps back and forth in time and the surreal scenes eventually become showy for their own sake instead of serving the story. While I greatly admired the movie, I ultimately found it hard to enjoy. The fine cast and the strong visuals make it worth a look, but my lack of emotional involvement in the film made me think it highly overrated. GRADE: B-
Underworld: Evolution: There’s one letter missing from the title. There should be a D in front of Evolution. I took a little heat for actually liking the first movie, which I thought was a clever and well-made monster mash of vampires and werewolves. This sequel, however, is everything a lot of people said the first movie was: incomprehensible, contrived and generally no fun. Even the sight of Kate Beckinsale in tight leather (or less) couldn’t keep me interested this time. GRADE: D
FROM THE CATALOG
Dumbo: Disney releases a new edition of one its most beloved movies. It’s a required purchase for anyone with kids or a healthy degree of sentiment in their makeup. No less a genius than Pixar’s John Lasseter names this as his favorite Disney movie. If you don’t shed a tear during “Baby Mine,” offer yourself up as a statue for the community park.
A deluge of the Duke: I was never that fond of John Wayne as a personality, but as a movie star, his magnetism was undeniable. Two of his very best movies, Stagecoach and The Searchers, get spiffy 2-disc DVD editions. Stagecoach made him a star, and The Searchers is hands down the best movie he made and one of the greatest Westerns. These are both available separately and in a box set of Wayne movies directed by the man who shaped Wayne more than anyone else: John Ford. Also in the box are Fort Apache, The Long Voyage Home, The Wings of Eagles, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, They Were Expendable and 3 Godfathers.
Also out today
Firewall: Given this movie’s tepid reception at the box office, that fourth Indiana Jones movie is starting to look like a really good - or maybe a really bad - idea.
Glory Road: Josh Lucas stars in the latest Disney true-life inspirational sports story, this time about the triumphant 1965-66 Texas Western miners basketball team.
Running Scared: Paul Walker tries and fails to prove he can carry a movie without a lot of sled dogs in tow.
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