Tuesday
Jan062009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 4:02AM New to Home Video: 'Pineapple Express,' 'Galactica,' and Garbage
We are definitely not in love with this week's assortment of DVDs. Yes, there are a couple you should
definitely check out, but at least two of the worst films of 2008 are arriving on shelves today - one of
which is so bad it overshadows the few good things that are also new this week. I guess we should expect as
much in the first week of the year; it's not like the bar for entertainment is set very high with what's
coming to theaters on Friday, ditto the People's Choice Awards.
Pineapple Express
Not my favorite of the Apatow movies, this Seth Rogen-written action comedy certainly has its moments. James
Franco is great, and I find it impossible to not be entertained by Danny McBride. But somewhere around the
time Rogen becomes an action hero, jumping from second story platforms onto bad guy Gary Cole, it lost its
charm to me. There is a great final scene, however, which helped raise its stock, but I don't know that it lived up to the advance hype.
Pineapple Express comes in four flavors: R-rated DVD, Unrated DVD, Unrated Special Edition Two-Disc
DVD, and Unrated Special Edition Two-Disc Blu-Ray.
(Here's our review, you potheads)
The Wackness
Hey, speaking of pot...
This was one of my favorite risks of 2008. It's a simple story masquerading as something more complicated,
concerning a listless rich kid in New York (Josh Peck) who sells dope to his shrink (Ben Kingsley) and has a
thing for his shrink's step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby). It has a really good energy to it, and some worthwhile performances. Also, I'm not sure how many movies are really going for this honor right now, but The Wackness truly captures 1994 in a very cool way, without being kitschy.
(Here's our review)
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0
I remember watching the original Battlestar Galactica with Dirk Benedict and Lorne By God Greene and
never thinking, "One day, something very cool and almost groundbreaking will come out this poorly-written
sci-faux." And yet, it sure has: Galactica is one of the smartest shows of its kind, and it's getting
ready for a new spin-off next year.
The official selling points for this set says it includes "over 5 hours of explosive bonus features
including deleted scenes, featurettes, podcasts & more! Plus, see the unrated, extended version of
Battlestar Galactica: Razor that didn't air on TV!" Sounds like a deal for under $50.
Righteous Kill
Now we're verging into regrettable country. It's certainly not the worst movie left to discuss this week,
but there's really no reason to see this. What's sad is that because it stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino,
there should be ample reason to check it out. Instead, Righteous Kill is just a mediocre and incredibly unintelligent cop movie.
I guess if you're an enthusiast of either one of those actors, you kind of have to see it. I mean, they've
made worse movies over the past ten years or so. But not many.
(Our righteous review)
Babylon A.D.
At the end of the summer, there were a few movies I had to see outside of my usual duties as a critic. These
films were deemed so awful by the people in charge of promoting them that they didn't want the negative
press that would accompany what they knew were bad movies. That brings us to the next three movies on DVD
this week.
Of those three, the only one I didn't see was Babylon A.D. But when the director goes out of his way
to say how bad it is, you know you can find better things to do with your time.
Bangkok Dangerous
To say that I "liked" this movie more than other critics is to have a very loose interpretation of the word
"like." There were a couple of things that appealed to me, but certainly not enough to curry much favor in
the final analysis. Nic Cage plays a hitman contracted to carry out a series of killings in Des Moines...I
mean, Bangkok. I always get those two cities confused.
Some people thought this was the worst movie of the year, but have I got news for them: It wasn't even
close.
(Read our review if you feel like it)
Disaster Movie
This is not just the worst movie I saw in 2008, it's the worst movie I've ever seen as a critic. That means that
in ten years, covering well over 1,500 movies, I can say to you definitively that this is the worst of the
bunch. By a mile. A real no doubter.And that's saying something.
But Disaster Movie is such a cynically assembled, moronic, incomprehensible, unpolished, unfunny,
unrewarding shitstorm that you'd feel exactly the same way if you spent 90 minutes with it.
(But don't take my word for it, take my word for it)
Pineapple Express
Not my favorite of the Apatow movies, this Seth Rogen-written action comedy certainly has its moments. James
Franco is great, and I find it impossible to not be entertained by Danny McBride. But somewhere around the
time Rogen becomes an action hero, jumping from second story platforms onto bad guy Gary Cole, it lost its
charm to me. There is a great final scene, however, which helped raise its stock, but I don't know that it lived up to the advance hype.
Pineapple Express comes in four flavors: R-rated DVD, Unrated DVD, Unrated Special Edition Two-Disc
DVD, and Unrated Special Edition Two-Disc Blu-Ray.
(Here's our review, you potheads)
The Wackness
Hey, speaking of pot...
This was one of my favorite risks of 2008. It's a simple story masquerading as something more complicated,
concerning a listless rich kid in New York (Josh Peck) who sells dope to his shrink (Ben Kingsley) and has a
thing for his shrink's step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby). It has a really good energy to it, and some worthwhile performances. Also, I'm not sure how many movies are really going for this honor right now, but The Wackness truly captures 1994 in a very cool way, without being kitschy.
(Here's our review)
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0
I remember watching the original Battlestar Galactica with Dirk Benedict and Lorne By God Greene and
never thinking, "One day, something very cool and almost groundbreaking will come out this poorly-written
sci-faux." And yet, it sure has: Galactica is one of the smartest shows of its kind, and it's getting
ready for a new spin-off next year.
The official selling points for this set says it includes "over 5 hours of explosive bonus features
including deleted scenes, featurettes, podcasts & more! Plus, see the unrated, extended version of
Battlestar Galactica: Razor that didn't air on TV!" Sounds like a deal for under $50.
Righteous Kill
Now we're verging into regrettable country. It's certainly not the worst movie left to discuss this week,
but there's really no reason to see this. What's sad is that because it stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino,
there should be ample reason to check it out. Instead, Righteous Kill is just a mediocre and incredibly unintelligent cop movie.
I guess if you're an enthusiast of either one of those actors, you kind of have to see it. I mean, they've
made worse movies over the past ten years or so. But not many.
(Our righteous review)
Babylon A.D.
At the end of the summer, there were a few movies I had to see outside of my usual duties as a critic. These
films were deemed so awful by the people in charge of promoting them that they didn't want the negative
press that would accompany what they knew were bad movies. That brings us to the next three movies on DVD
this week.
Of those three, the only one I didn't see was Babylon A.D. But when the director goes out of his way
to say how bad it is, you know you can find better things to do with your time.
Bangkok Dangerous
To say that I "liked" this movie more than other critics is to have a very loose interpretation of the word
"like." There were a couple of things that appealed to me, but certainly not enough to curry much favor in
the final analysis. Nic Cage plays a hitman contracted to carry out a series of killings in Des Moines...I
mean, Bangkok. I always get those two cities confused.
Some people thought this was the worst movie of the year, but have I got news for them: It wasn't even
close.
(Read our review if you feel like it)
Disaster Movie
This is not just the worst movie I saw in 2008, it's the worst movie I've ever seen as a critic. That means that
in ten years, covering well over 1,500 movies, I can say to you definitively that this is the worst of the
bunch. By a mile. A real no doubter.And that's saying something.
But Disaster Movie is such a cynically assembled, moronic, incomprehensible, unpolished, unfunny,
unrewarding shitstorm that you'd feel exactly the same way if you spent 90 minutes with it.
(But don't take my word for it, take my word for it)
Reader Comments (1)
I felt the exact same way about Disaster Movie. Applause to you for making it to the end. I did not even come close. I'm actually a little nauseous just from reliving the experience. I could always watch Pineapple Express. I hear that's great for nausea.