Dinner for Schmucks DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Unappetizing Remake of French Farce Arrives on DVD

Hollywood has a horrible track record when it comes to remakes of foreign films, especially French farces, and Dinner for Schmucks is just the latest in a long line of tone-deaf adaptations. In this case, the Americanized version substitutes slapstick and a mean-spiritedness where there had once been a certain savoir faire combined with a sublime sense of humor.
The movie is based on The Dinner Game (1998), a dark comedy about a bunch of rich snobs who get their kicks by seeing who can invite the biggest loser to a weekly dinner party. Directed by Jay Roach, the plotline of this lousy knockoff may superficially sound a lot like the first but, trust me, it has somehow now lost most of the charm.
The unlikely-buddy vehicle co-stars Paul Rudd as the exploiter in need of a blithering idiot and Steve Carell as the unsuspecting stranger who conveniently fits the bill. At the point of departure, we meet Tim Conrad (Rudd), an aspiring executive at Fender Financial, an investment firm specializing in leveraged buyouts. His ruthless boss (Bruce Greenwood) sees a future in the young up-and-comer, but conditions a promotion to partner on his first winning the company’s secret dinner for idiots competition.
Tim is so conflicted about participating that he confides in his girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) who makes him promise not to have anything to do with such a cruel hoax. He agrees, but goes back on his word after literally running into Barry (Carell), a terminally-clumsy IRS employee.
Tim sees the buffoon as a shoo-in to win the idiots contest and can’t resist the urge to invite him over to the apartment to get better acquainted. Not surprisingly, the tables are soon turned, albeit inadvertently, by hapless Barry who proceeds to make a holy mess of Tim’s life, whether by ruining his relationship with Julie, helping to aggravate his bad back, or elsewhat.
While Rudd again proves himself the consummate straight man, Carell’s sophomoric antics are a clear indication that any of the original’s sophistication got lost somewhere in the translation. A mediocre sitcom serving up a half-baked, TV dinner.
Check please!

Fair (1 star)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor and partial nudity.
Running time: 114 Minutes
Studio: Dreamworks Video
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, bloopers, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Reverential Profile Revisits Rise and Fall of Fiery Folksinger

Phil Ochs (1940-1976) came to fame in the Sixties on the strength of his defiant, anti-establishment anthems which dared to indict American militarism, racism, imperialism and expansionism. Armed with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and an operatic voice to breathe life into his collection of conscious-raising hymns, the inveterate rabble rouser challenged authority every chance he could.
And while Phil was most famous for sold-out engagements at venues like Carnegie Hall, he was also known to make impromptu appearances in support of the oppressed not only in the U.S. but in Africa, South America, and anywhere else around the planet he thought could help. Unfortunately, as a thorn in the side of the U.S. government in terms of the antiwar and civil rights movements, he made enemies of many powerful politicians.
Consequently, when Phil was strangled and left for dead while organizing over in Africa, he suspected that the assailant had been a CIA operative, especially because the attack effectively ended hiss career. That’s because the choking of his vocal cords irreversibly rendered his once haunting singing voice a diminished shadow of its former self.
From that point forward, the trajectory of Phil’s life spiraled directly downward, as he fought a losing battle with both booze and depression. Sadly, he would commit suicide at the tender age of 35, leaving behind not only a wife but a young daughter.
All of the above is carefully chronicled in Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune, a reverential profile directed by Kenneth Bowser. What makes the bittersweet bio-pic so compelling is the participation in the project of so many folks who knew the man well.
Rife with archival concert footage as well as recent wistful remembrances by friends and family, the film opens with an examination of Phil’s early years as a band geek in high school, followed by his matriculating at Ohio State where he picked up the guitar. We next learn that he dropped out of college to become a folksinger in Greenwich Village where he was inspired to step up his game buy virtue of a healthy competition in clubs with his new pal Bob Dylan.
A fond tribute to a troubled, traveling troubadour who never turned down an invite to lend support by performing and putting his life on the line for a socially-relevant cause.

Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 97 Minutes
Distributor: First Run Features

Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening January 14, 2011


BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Dilemma (PG-13 for sexuality and mature themes) Buddy comedy about a confirmed bachelor (Vince Vaughn) agonizing over whether to tell his best friend (Kevin James) whose wife (Winona Ryder) he caught cheating with a young stud (Channing Tatum). Cast includes Queen Latifah, Jennifer Connelly and Amy Morton.

The Green Hornet (PG-13 for violence, profanity, sexuality and drug use) Seth Rogen stars in this action hero adaptation based on the Thirties radio show about the heir of a media empire who secretly moonlights as a crime-fighting vigilante with the assistance of a trusted employee (Jay Chou) trained in the martial arts. With Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Tom Wilkinson and Edward James Olmos.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Barney’s Version (R for profanity and some sexuality) Screen adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s picaresque novel of the same name featuring Paul Giamatti in the titular role as a heavy-drinking, cigar-smoking, politically-incorrect, TV producer doing his best to reflect upon his life despite the limitations of advanced Alzheimer’s. With two-time Academy Award-winner Dustin Hoffman and nominee Minnie Driver.

Breaking and Entering (Unrated) Guinness Book documentary chronicling the exploits of assorted endurance enthusiasts as they endeavor to break world records in everything from juggling to cycling to catching grapes to twirling hula hoops.

Every Day (R for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Midlife crisis comedy, set in NYC, about a miserable couple (Helen Hunt and Liev Schreiber) in a sexless marriage dealing with a host of issues ranging from depression to adultery. With Brian Dennehy, Carla Gugino and Eddie Izzard.

Hood to Coast (Unrated) Track and field documentary tracks the fate of four teams competing in the world’s longest relay race, a grueling, 197-mile test of endurance featuring thousands of entrants.

I’m Dangerous with Love (Unrated) Detox documentary about Leisure Class lead singer Dmitri Mugianis’ miraculously beating his 20-year, heroin addiction with the help of Ibogaine, an experimental drug illegal in the U.S. but available in a clinic in Amsterdam.

Ong Bak 3 (R for graphic violence and bloody images) Writer/director Tony Jaa reprises his starring role in the action-driven finale of the martial arts trilogy which finds the hero preparing for a duel to the death with his diabolical archenemy (Dan Chupong). Supporting cast includes Primrata Det-udom, Sorapong Chatree and Sarunyoo Wongkrachang. (In Thai with subtitles)

Petition (Unrated) People’s Court documentary exposing flaws in China’s dysfunctional legal justice system where citizens frequently find themselves frustrated for years by unnecessary delays due to government bureaucracy. (In Mandarin with subtitles)

Plastic Planet (Unrated) Eco-documentary examining how humans’ increasing dependency on plastic over the past century has come to imperil the health of both people and the environment. (In English, Italian, German and Dutch with subtitles)

Repo Chick (Unrated) Action comedy revolving around a disinherited debutante (Jaclyn Jonet), forced to fend for herself for the first time, who ends up saving the day with the help of her entourage when terrorists threatening to wipe out Los Angeles steal a trainload of guided missiles. Cast includes Rosanna Arquette, Chloe Webb and Karen Black.

A Somewhat Gentle Man (Unrated) Scandinavian crime comedy about a recently-paroled hit man (Stellan Skarsgard) who has a hard time juggling the competing demands of his gang, his ex, his girlfriends and a snitch, when he emerges from prison a mellow fellow following a dozen years behind bars for murder. With Bjorn Floberg, Kjersti Holmen and Aksel Hennie. (In Norwegian with subtitles)

A Useful Life (Unrated) Nostalgic romantic comedy, set in Montevideo, Uruguay, about a melancholy, movie theater manager (Jorge Jellinek) who falls in love with a law professor (Paola Venditto) attending a screening at his struggling art house. (In Spanish with subtitles)

The 10 Best, No, the 100 Best Films of 2010

The 10 Best, No, the 100 Best Films of 2010

by Kam Williams

Headline: Kam’s Annual Assessment of the Cream of the Cinematic Crop

I always feel a little silly ranking the year’s best movies, since so many are excellent and the different genres simply don’t lend themselves to comparison with one another. Nonetheless, since this task is part of my job description, far be it from this critic to shrink from this annual responsibility. However, in prefatory remarks, let me remind you that I am taking into consideration all the films released over the course of 2010, not simply those released since Thanksgiving which are being hyped as Oscar-worthy by the studios.
Also, rather than limit my list to just the 10 Best offerings, I’ve expanded it, as usual, to 100, and included documentaries, independents and foreign flicks, along with the obligatory Hollywood blockbusters. After all, while everybody is well aware of the films which benefited from a big advertising budget, part of my purpose here is to encourage everyone to check out some of those lesser-known, cinematic delights which might not have made a blip on your radar.

10 Best Big Budget Films of 2010

1. The Social Network


2. Kick-Ass


3. Piranha 3-D


4. The Kids Are All Right


5. The Town


6. Black Swan


7. Easy A


8. The Fighter


9. Date Night


10. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World


Big Budgets Honorable Mention

11. The Next Three Days
12. Just Wright
13. The Other Guys
14. Knight and Day
15. Get Him to the Greek
16. Karate Kid
17. Why Did I Get Married Too
18. The Expendables
19. Toy Story 3
20. Rabbit Hole
21. Lottery Ticket
22. Mother and Child
23. Cyrus
24. For Colored Girls
25. Iron Man 2


Best Foreign Films

1. Sophie’s Revenge (China)
2. A Film Unfinished (Poland)
3. Heartbreaker (France)
4. Africa United (Rwanda)
5. Jaffa (Israel)
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden)
7. Alamar (Mexico)
8. Soul Kitchen (Germany)
9. Hot Summer Days (Hong Kong)
10. Soul Boy (Kenya)

Foreign Films Honorable Mention

11. White Wedding (South Africa)
12. When We Leave (Turkey)
13. Everyone Else (Italy)
14. Amer (Belgium)
15. Bouncing Cats (Uganda)
16. Mademoiselle Chambon (France)
17. The Anchorage (Sweden)
18. Aftershock (China)
19. Leaving (France)
20. Cow (China)
21. Inspector Bellamy (France)
22. Mother (Korea)
23. For My Father (Israel)
24. Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (France)
25. Girl on the Train (France)

10 Best Independent Films

1. Tiny Furniture
2. Fish Tank
3. Prince of Broadway
4. Modern Love Is Automatic
5. The People I've Slept With
6. Greenberg
7. Toe to Toe
8. Cairo Time
9. Kisses
10. Monsters

Independent Films Honorable Mention

11. Double Take
12. Nothing Personal
13. Hiding Divya
14. Life During Wartime
15. Lbs.
16. Women’s Prison
17. Like Dandelion Dust
18. Get Low
19. The Eclipse
20. Life’s Passing Me By
21. Wah Do Dem
22. Mercy
23. Paper Man
24. Trash Humpers
25. Friction


10 Best Documentaries

1. Gasland
2. Off and Running
3. Race to Nowhere
4. We Need to Talk
5. Dirty Hands
6. Biracial, Not Black, Dammit!
7. Restrepo
8. Neshoba
9. Videocracy
10. Wasteland

Documentaries Honorable Mention

11. I’m Still Here
12. The Other City
13. Fresh
14. Two in the Wave
15. Exit Through the Gift Shop
16. The Cartel
17. American Radical
18. Waiting for Superman
19. Behind the Burly Q
20. Hugh Hefner
21. The Art of the Steal
22. Tales from the Script
23. Saint Misbehavin’
24. Jean-Michel Basquait
25. Joan Rivers

This Week’s DVD Releases

by Kam Williams

Headline: Top Ten DVD List for January 4th 2011

The Lena Baker Story


Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends: The Complete Series


iCarly: Season Two, Volume Two


Catfish


Mama Flora’s Family


Howl


Gone with the Wind [Blu Ray]


The Last Exorcism


Case 39


Dinner with Schmucks

Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All

by Russell Simmons
with Chris Morrow
Gotham Books
Hardcover, $22.50
208 pages
ISBN: 978-1-592-40587-9

Book Review by Kam Williams


“Rather than any state of material abundance, Super Rich actually refers to living in a state of consciousness where you’re able to see the miracles of life unfolding in front of you all the time. It’s a state where your connection to your higher self is so strong that you’ll be able to recognize that there’s no difference between being broke and being a millionaire…

It’s a state where you’ll be able to appreciate that your entire experience as a human being is blissful and sublime. And as a result of achieving this state, you’ll understand that you don’t need money or toys to be happy.”
-Excerpted from Chapter One, “Redefining Rich” (pg. 5)

When a hip-hop mogul writes a book with a catchy title like “Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All,” it’s only reasonable to expect its pages to be dripping with advice about making a mammoth fortune. It’s not uncommon for famous tycoons sitting at the top of the economic food chain to share their trade secrets in similarly-titled tomes aimed at ambitious folks who want follow in their footsteps.

Just consider how Captains of Industry ranging from Donald Trump (“How to Get Rich”) to T. Boone Pickens (“The First Billion Is the Hardest”) to Sir Richard Branson (“Business Stripped Bare”) have previously published such how-to texts. Yet, in “Super Rich,” gazillionaire Russell Simmons practically advocates the antithesis of accumulating wealth for wealth’s sake.

Instead, he redefines success as not financial, but as a combination of consciousness and compassion, qualities which one can cultivate even if you don’t have two nickels to rub together. Consequently, some might unfairly consider this spiritually-oriented opus to be a case of bait and switch, especially if they still automatically associate Simmons’ name with rap music, a genre given to the wanton celebration of money and materialism.

But if you’re at all familiar with the evolution of Russell’s career, you are well aware that he has long since sincerely shed the shells of accumulation and conspicuous consumption to walk the Earth in a manner more harmonious with nature and other living creatures. A priceless life primer stocked with the sage insights of a reformed, meat-eating, substance-abusing, bad-boy titan now championing yoga, meditation and vegetarianism as the appropriate paths to fulfillment and to the satisfaction of one’s every acquisitive craving.

The King's Speech

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Colin Firth Delivers Nonpareil Performance as Reluctant Monarch with Speech Impediment

When England’s King George V (Michael Gambon) passed away in 1936, he was first succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII (Guy Pearce). But Edward would abdicate less than a year into his reign, capitulating to the mounting public pressure to pick between the throne and his scandalous plans to marry his mistress, Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), a two-time divorcee’ and an American to boot.
This development left Prince Albert (Colin Firth) positioned as the next in line, but the heir apparent was reluctant to replace his brother because of his own inability to control a crippling stutter. After all, he was well aware of radio’s rising importance as a means of communication, and that periodically addressing the masses on the air would be among his critical duties as a high-profile figurehead.
Furthermore, having embarrassing himself in front of a large crowd in Wembley Stadium over a decade earlier, Albert had already consulted a world-renowned speech therapist for help with his condition. However, Dr. Bentham’s (Roger Hammond) best scientific efforts had failed, leaving the beleaguered Prince’s saddled with a lack of self-confidence and a disinclination to serve as monarch.
Finally, a ray of hope arrives when word of an Australian rumored to be curing speech impediments reaches Albert’s supportive wife, the Duchess of York (Helena Bonham Carter). Adopting an alias, she surreptitiously goes slumming around a seedy side of London in search of the highly-recommended Dr. Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).
As animated as he is eccentric, the self-assured therapist confidently lays out his non-negotiable ground rules prior to agreeing to take on “Mrs. Johnson’s” mysterious husband as a client, including an understanding that all the sessions will be conducted right there on the premises in his modest home studio. And even after learning the identity of his new pupil, Logue insists on referring to Prince Albert by “Bertie,” His Majesty’s lofty stature outside the office notwithstanding.
Although initially infuriated as much by the cheeky commoner’s presumptuousness as by his unorthodox methods, Albert gradually develops a grudging fondness for the foreigner when his stammer starts showing signs of dissipating. The arc of their strained relationship serves as the fascinating focus of The King’s Speech, a fact-based, historical drama directed by Tom Hooper (The Damned United).
The film is reminiscent of The Queen (2006) in that it offers a plausible peek at the intimate affairs of members of the Royal Family during a defining moment of emotional and political upheaval. In this instance, the period in question covers the turbulent years after Albert’s coronation leading up to England’s entry into World War II in 1939.
The movie is at its best when highlighting the delightful badinage between Colin Firth as the recently-crowned King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his not so humble servant, a charming rogue if there ever was one. Still, the sobering specter of Hitler looms over Europe, making Logue’s appointed mission to prepare Albert to deliver a rousing declaration of war without stuttering as much a patriotic duty as an individual achievement.
Kudos to Firth and Rush for generating screen chemistry aplenty in inspired performances not to be forgotten during awards season.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity.
Running time: 111 Minutes
Distributor: The Weinstein Company