Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: Arts & Society

Alison Lohman demonstrates roughly the same talent as her co-star, a horse, in "Flicka."

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amber Tamblyn star in "The Grudge 2." The film is pointless, providing non-stop killing without any plot.

For all of you DVD fiends and freaks, this week brings quite a smear of new releases to expand your already grossly enormous collection. From movies about dead superheroes to movies about dead, crazy Asian women who make freaky noises with their jawless mouths, there is something for everyone this week. Now let's see what we're working with …

The Good

"The Science of Sleep" plunges deep into the imagination, providing creative visuals that will both stun and amaze you. The hero of the tale, Stéphane, falls in love with his enchanting neighbor, Stéphanie, while frequently drifting in and out of his own dream world. More fascinating than anything else, "The Science of Sleep" has been put in the same ranks as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." If you are like me and are a sucker for this kind of weird romance, you can pick up a copy today.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, is the twice Oscar nominated feature, "Flags of Our Fathers." Starring Ryan Phillippe, the film portrays heroes of World War II in a way that has been described as "graphic, shocking, challenging, moving, and thoughtful." The movie depicts the fierce battles fought against the Japanese at Iwo Jima and the aftermath for three so-called heroes that have trouble facing the honors and exploitation they run into after the battle. While receiving mostly positive reviews, beware that some see the movie as simple pro-war propaganda that offers nothing of much value. If you are someone that bleeds red, white, and blue, this is the DVD for you.

The Bad

Employing some of the biggest stars of the place it portrays, "Hollywoodland" amounts to nothing more than a dreary drama that drags on for a little over two hours. The movie explores the mystery behind the death of television's Man of Steel, George Reeves. Ben Affleck managed to somehow win an award at the Venice Film festival for his performance as Reeves. However, despite any acting achievements, the mystery of the film becomes less interesting as time painfully continues. So unless you are a fan of masochism or are in need of a sleep remedy, steer clear of this release.

"Flicka." Sigh. All I saw of this film were the bits and pieces that managed to sneak their way into my retinas as I desperately tried to fall asleep on my flight to Las Vegas. I felt like the guy from "A Clockwork Orange" with his eyelids strapped open, getting brainwashed by the painful imagery. The movie amounts to nothing but fluffy dialogue and landscapes, providing no real strong foundations between the main character (Alison Lohman) and Flicka (some random horse). Aside from looking pretty, "Flicka" manages to be one of the poorer releases this week.

The Ugly

Picking up where the last one sort of left off, "The Grudge 2" is not only ugly but gruesome to boot. It is funny, because I didn't think there was enough content and excitement to make the first one all that good, let alone to expand the series with a sequel. To kick it up a notch from "The Grudge," the sequel has not just the one hot girl (Sarah Michelle Gellar), but that same hot girl and her hot sister (Amber Tamblyn a.k.a. "Joan of Arcadia"). With the newly acquired eye candy, there obviously were not many resources to allocate for the plot -- which really didn't even make sense. People get grudged left and right, with no rhyme or reason for their brutal deaths. Described as "lazy and unimaginative," this sequel is an utterly pointless atrocity and is not something you should waste money buying.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools