DVD Previews
Too cold to play outside? Have fun indoors with these new DVD releases…
Mad Hot Ballroom
MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic elements.
Released on DVD: Oct. 18, 2006
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Remember when you were in the fifth grade? The words “gawky,” “self-conscious,” and “shy” spring to mind. Now imagine learning the rumba, tango and foxtrot at that age — and actually touching and standing close to a kid of the opposite sex. Yikes!
That’s what makes this documentary by director Marilyn Agrelo so special. It takes a bunch of 11-year-old kids in the New York City public school system and shows them getting excited about something as un-cool as ballroom dancing. I mean, let’s face it. When you’re 11, doing the tango probably ranks right up there with going underwear shopping with your mom.
After learning to ballroom dance, the kids vie for positions in a city-wide competition where the winning team takes home a giant trophy. The film focuses not only on the dancing and personal lives of the kids — a mix of Dominican students from Washington Heights, upscale kids from Tribeca, Italians and Asians from Bensonhurst — but also on their dedicated teachers.
Some of the kids are already so world-weary, it makes you glad that programs like this can provide an escape and, hopefully, a different path from the vicious world of drugs and street gangs.
This is a beautiful movie that flows well and is never boring. And don’t be surprised if you find a goofy smile on your face because it will make you feel really good about life.
John Tucker Must Die
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and language.
Released on DVD: Nov. 14, 2006
Rating: 1.5 Stars
Riffing off his shirtless “Desperate Housewives” fame, Jesse Metcalfe plays John Tucker, captain of the basketball team and the most popular guy in school. Cliché though it is, all the guys want to be him and all the girls want to date him. And that’s exactly what three girls are doing — Heather (Ashanti), Beth (Sophia Bush), and Carrie (Arielle Kebbel).
When the girls figure out they’re dating the same guy, they’re ready to rip each other apart. Fortunately, fellow student Kate (Brittany Snow) has seen plenty of playboys, thanks to her man-hunting single mother. She points out the misguided anger of the three girls, and they decide instead that John Tucker must be taught a good lesson.
The girls realize that Kate — usually invisible among the high school crowd — is the perfect bait. The plan: make John fall in love with her and then dump him. Of course, first she has to learn some basic principles of high school dating, like kissing.
With a wealth of high tech equipment (cell phones, blackberries, etc., which, apparently, every high school kid has at their disposal), the girls are ready to coach Kate through the love ’em and leave ’em scenario. Of course, they don’t count on her falling in love.
Ok, maybe it’s just me, but wouldn’t it be better for the girls to just get on with their lives, instead of wasting all their energy getting even with John Tucker? It’s just sad, really.
We’re sure you’ve got something much better to do with your time then renting this movie.
Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition
MPAA Rating: PG for peril, some mild sensuality and language.
Released on DVD: Nov. 28, 2006
Rating: 5 Stars
Holy Kryptonite! If you’re a Superman fan, this 14-disc set is for you! Perhaps most anticipated is the recent Superman Returns, rated PG-13 for some intense action violence.
This time, the Man of Steel is played by 26-year-old Brandon Routh, an Iowa native who bears an eerie resemblance to Christopher Reeve (who first donned the blue tights for 1978’s Superman).
This movie picks up with Superman returning to Earth after a long absence. And what a return! I won’t give away too much, but let’s just say it involves a Mission Control space flight, a jet airliner, and a baseball stadium.
The story continues with Superman going about his business of saving the world — rescuing mountain climbers, putting out fires, stopping a bank robbery — intertwined with bits and pieces of Clark Kent and Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), who has a child now and is in a relationship. The reporter has apparently moved on with her life.
Or…has she? Sure, she’s quick to tell Superman, “The world doesn’t need a savior, and neither do I.” But when her boss, Perry White (Frank Langella), asks her to give Superman an interview for the Daily Planet, it’s clear she still has feelings for him. Their scenes together are really touching and magical.
Meanwhile, the world is dying to know where Superman has been. And his nemesis, Lex Luthor (played to the hilt by a bald Kevin Spacey), is still scheming to get rid of him so he can take over the world. His evil plan involves kidnapping and, of course, Kryptonite.
Be aware that this movie contains scenes of intense action and violence including gunfire, beatings, and mass panic after a power outage. That said, it’s a big, fun blockbuster with just the right mix of thrills, special effects, romance, comedy and drama. Brandon Routh is perfect in the role, playing Clark Kent as a clumsy, bumbling reporter and Superman as a strong and powerful hero. And yes, we DO need a hero.