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<strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong><br />
December 2008<br />
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRICE CASPIAN<br />
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR<br />
STEP BROTHERS<br />
BURN AFTER READING<br />
THE HOUSE BUNNY<br />
DEATH RACE<br />
THE WOMEN<br />
TRAITOR<br />
THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE<br />
FLY ME TO THE MOON<br />
THE LONGSHOTS<br />
The Top 50 - Movie Contest - Feature Columns - Games<br />
HAMLET 2
Coming In December<br />
Dates are subject to change. Titles may not be available in all store locations.<br />
DECEMBER 2<br />
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (PG) Action/Adventure/Fantasy Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes. (page 14)<br />
WANTED (R) Action/Thriller James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Common. (page 4)<br />
STEP BROTHERS (R) Comedy Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, Katherine Hahn. (page 4)<br />
THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE (PG-13) Drama/Thriller/Sci-Fi David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly. (page 6)<br />
FLY ME TO THE MOON (G) Animated Adventure/Comedy Trevor Gagnon, Christopher Lloyd, Kelly Ripa, Ed Begley Jr., Nicollette Sheridan, Tim Curry. (page 14)<br />
THE LONGSHOTS (PG) Comedy/Drama Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, Tasha Smith, Matt Craven. (page 14)<br />
DECEMBER 9<br />
THE DARK KNIGHT (PG-13) Action/Adventure Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman. (page 3)<br />
DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO! (G) Animated Comedy Jim Carrey, Steve Carrell, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Amy Poehler. (page 14)<br />
DECEMBER 16<br />
MAMMA MIA (PG-13) Musical Comedy/Romance Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried. (page 3)<br />
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (PG-13) Action/Adventure/Fantasy Brendan Fraser, Jet Li. (page 4)<br />
DECEMBER 19<br />
TRAITOR (PG-13) Drama/Suspense/Thriller Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Said Taghmaoui, Jeff Daniels, Neal McDonough. (page 6)<br />
DECEMBER 23<br />
BURN AFTER READING (R) Comedy/Drama Directed by the Coen brothers, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich. (page 5)<br />
THE HOUSE BUNNY (PG-13) Comedy Anna Faris, Emma Stone, Colin Hanks, Kat Dennings. (page 5)<br />
DEATH RACE (R) Action/Thriller Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Ian McShane, Tyrese Gibson, Natalie Martinez. (page 5)<br />
THE WOMEN (PG-13) Comedy/Drama Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Candice Bergen, Cloris Leachman. (page 5)<br />
HAMLET 2 (R) Comedy Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Melonie Diaz, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Poehler. (page 6)<br />
DECEMBER 27<br />
EAGLE EYE (PG-13) Action/Suspense/Thriller Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie. (see January issue)<br />
GHOST TOWN (PG-13) Comedy/Fantasy/Romance Ricky Gervais, Téa Leoni, Greg Kinnear, Billy Campbell, Aasif Mandvi. (see January issue)<br />
THE DUCHESS (PG-13) Drama/Romance Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Charlotte Rampling, Simon McBurney. (see January issue)<br />
DECEMBER 30<br />
AN AMERICAN CAROL (PG-13) Comedy/Fantasy Kevin Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Robert Davi, Trace Adkins, Jon Voight, Leslie Nielsen. (page 6)<br />
On the Inside<br />
Coming In December<br />
Reviews by the <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> Staff<br />
Pages 3-6<br />
Contest & Games<br />
Page 7<br />
Top 50<br />
Pages 8-11<br />
Hail to the Chief - Art Slavin<br />
Based on a True... - Sue Varno<br />
Page 12<br />
Another Look<br />
Hugh Jackman<br />
Page 12<br />
Family & Kids <strong>Views</strong><br />
Pages 14-15<br />
Top Picks<br />
Sid Skolnik<br />
The Dark Knight;<br />
Burn After Reading;<br />
Wanted; Hamlet 2;<br />
Mamma Mia; Step Brothers<br />
Art Slavin<br />
The Dark Knight;<br />
Wanted; X-Files; Burn After<br />
Reading; Death Race;<br />
Horton Hears A Who!<br />
Look for the JANUARY issue of <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> featuring: Pineapple Express; Righteous Kill;<br />
Lakeview Terrace; Max Payne; Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys; Mirrors; Fireproof; Babylon<br />
A.D.; Vicky Cristina Barcelona; My Best Friend’s Girl; Swing Vote; Bangkok Dangerous;<br />
Disaster Movie; Brideshead Revisited; Tell No One; & MORE!<br />
Rhonda Rae<br />
The Dark Knight;<br />
Burn After Reading;<br />
Wanted; Hamlet 2;<br />
Mamma Mia; Step Brothers<br />
December 2008 <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> 2
THE DARK KNIGHT (PG-13: v) Action/Adventure December 9<br />
Crime is on the rise, keeping Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the Gotham City police force<br />
busier than ever. And in spite of all the help Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) gets from his trusty<br />
butler Alfred (Michael Caine) and his company’s master technician Lucius Fox (Morgan<br />
Freeman), even he as Batman can’t hold it all down. Amateur vigilantes try to help, but<br />
the drug dealers still run rampant. In steps the crazy bank robbing clown-like Joker (Heath<br />
Ledger) whose attacks are paralyzing the city as high government officials are being knocked<br />
off. But there seems to be hope. The new District Attorney in town, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart),<br />
has the confidence of the population… as opposed to Batman, whose reputation is<br />
slipping badly. Not only that but Dent is dating Bruce’s ex-girlfriend Rachel Dawes (Maggie<br />
Gyllenhaal), and the Joker is threatening to blow up Gotham unless Batman reveals himself.<br />
Ledger’s performance is fantastic. 152 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: 2 disc includes “Batman Tech: The Incredible Gadgets and Tools.”<br />
Partial Credits: Christian Bale (I’m Not There; 3:10 To Yuma; Rescue Dawn; The Prestige; Harsh Times; The New World; Batman Begins; Laurel Canyon;<br />
Equilibrium; Reign of Fire; Captain Corelli’s Mandolin; Shaft; American Psycho; Swing Kids; Newsies; Empire of the Sun). Heath Ledger (I’m Not There;<br />
Brokeback Mountain; Casanova; The Brothers Grimm; Lords of Dogtown; Ned Kelly; The Order; The Four Feathers; Monster Ball; A Knight’s Tale; The<br />
Patriot; 10 Things I Hate About You). Aaron Eckhart (No Reservations; The Black Dahlia; Thank You for Smoking; Suspect Zero; Paycheck; The Missing; The<br />
Core; Possession; The Pledge; Nurse Betty; Erin Brockovich; In the Company of Men).<br />
MAMMA MIA (PG-13: bd) Musical Comedy/Romance December 16<br />
Donna Sheridan (Meryl<br />
Streep) runs a hotel on<br />
the Greek island to which<br />
she brought three men to<br />
over twenty years ago.<br />
And while she had sent<br />
them all away, now her<br />
daughter Sophie (Amanda<br />
Seyfried) is getting<br />
married to her boyfriend (Dominic Cooper) there tomorrow.<br />
Sophie wants her father to walk her down the aisle but doesn’t<br />
know who he is. After reading her mother’s diary, she narrows it<br />
down to those three guys: Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Bill<br />
Anderson (Stellan Skarsgärd), and Harry Bright (Colin Firth)…<br />
and unbenownst to Donna, invites them all to the wedding. All<br />
three show up as do Donna’s sidekicks from their showbiz days,<br />
Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters). While<br />
the men are confused as to why they’re there, Donna is furious,<br />
and wants them gone. But one night, each of the guys realizes<br />
he must be Sophie’s dad. This hit Broadway musical inspired by<br />
ABBA songs, is a joyous celebration from beginning to its surprising<br />
finale. 98 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: 2-disc will include on-screen lyrics for 22 musical numbers; Featurettes.<br />
Partial Credits: Meryl Streep (Lions for Lambs; Rendition; Evening;; The Devil Wears Prada; A Prairie Home Companion; Prime; Lemony Snicket; The<br />
Manchurian Candidate; The Hours; Adaptation; Music of the Heart; One True Thing; Marvin’s Room; The Bridges of Madison County; The River Wild;<br />
Death Becomes Her; Defending Your Life; Postcards from the Edge; She-Devil; Heartburn; Out of Africa; Silkwood; Sophie’s Choice; Manhattan; Kramer<br />
vs. Kramer; The Deer Hunter). Pierce Brosnan (Married Life; Seraphim Falls; The Matador; After the Sunset; Laws of Attraction; Die Another Day; Evelyn;<br />
The Tailor of Panama; The World is Not Enough; The Thomas Crown Affair; Dante’s Peak; Tomorrow Never Dies; The Mirror Has Two Faces; GoldenEye;<br />
Mrs. Doubtfire; The Lawnmower Man).<br />
Ratings Codes: a-Adult Theme; m-Mature Theme; d-Sexual Dialogue; I-Coarse Language; n-Nudity; s-Sexuality; v-Violence; b-Brief; g-Graphic; p-Partial<br />
3<br />
<strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> December 2008
WANTED (R: m, bgd, gl, bpn, bs, gv) Action/Thriller December 2<br />
Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) couldn’t care less<br />
about his life. He has a dull job with a tryannical boss;<br />
his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend; and<br />
he swallows pills like candy for his panic attacks. Then<br />
one day a beautiful woman (Angelina Jolie) steps in<br />
and takes him on a mind-blowing trip to a place where<br />
he is told that he is the son of a recently killed member of<br />
their Fraternity, a band of assassins led by Sloane (Morgan<br />
Freeman). Their mission is to follow orders via a<br />
code from a textile loom, and murder evil people. Wesley<br />
is told he is the only one who can kill the rogue member<br />
of their group who murdered his father, and that he must<br />
go through some tough training to do so. From the first<br />
scene to the last, you will be left breathless. With Terence<br />
Stamp and Common. Based upon Mark Millar’s<br />
graphic novel series. 110 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: 2-disc and Blu-ray editions will include eight Featurettes.<br />
Partial Credits: James McAvoy (Penelope; Atonement; Becoming Jane; The Last King of Scotland; The Chronicles of Narnia; bit-Wimbledon). Angelina Jolie<br />
(Beowulf; A Mighty Heart; The Good Shepherd; Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Alexander; Shark Tale (voice); Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow; Taking Lives; Beyond<br />
Borders; Life or Something Like It; Original Sin; Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 1 & 2; Gone in 60 Seconds; Girl, Interrupted; The Bone Collector; Playing By<br />
Heart; Pushing Tin; Playing God; Hackers).<br />
STEP BROTHERS (R: m, gd, gl, bs) Comedy December 2<br />
It’s love at first sight for divorcée Nancy Huff (MarySteenburgen)<br />
and widower Dr. Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins). They have a<br />
lot in common, including the fact that each of them has a forty<br />
year-old son still living with them. Neither Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell)<br />
nor Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) is at all happy with his new<br />
step-brother or their living arrangements when Nancy and Robert<br />
get married. Both are spoiled brats with the brains and attitudes<br />
of seven year-olds, resulting in a whole mess of friction. That is,<br />
until Brennan’s successful but very arrogant younger brother Derek<br />
(Adam Scott) comes to visit, and the boys find they have a lot in<br />
common, including their hatred of Derek. So their animosity turns<br />
into a close friendship, only to reverse itself again when they mess<br />
up their parents’ lives. The laughs are plentiful, as are the sight<br />
gags and gross humor. The finale is not only clever, but heartwarming<br />
too. 95 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: Extended/Alternative Scenes; more.<br />
Partial Credits: Will Ferrell (Semi-Pro; Blades of Glory; Talladega Nights;; The Producers (2005); Bewitched; Kicking & Screaming; Melinda & Melinda;<br />
Anchorman; Elf; Old School; Zoolander; Superstar; Dick; A Night at the Roxbury). John C. Reilly (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story; Year of the Dog; A Prairie<br />
Home Companion; Talladega Nights; Dark Water; The Aviator; Anger Management; Chicago; Gangs of New York; The Hours; The Good Girl; The Perfect<br />
Storm; Magnolia; Boogie Nights; For Love of the Game; Never Been Kissed; The Thin Red Line; The River Wild; Hoffa; bits- Dolores Claiborne; What’s Eating<br />
Gilbert Grape?; Shadows & Fog; Days of Thunder; We’re No Angels).<br />
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (PG-13: v) Action/Fantasy December 16<br />
Rick and Eve O’Connell (Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello) have<br />
retired to their English country home, no longer into war espionage.<br />
But somewhat bored, they agree to go to on a mission<br />
to Shanghai. When they get there they run into their son Alex<br />
(Luke Ford), who instead of having been at school, is celebrating<br />
having found the tomb of Emperor Han (Jet Li), a vicious<br />
tyrant who centuries ago murdered for power and the elixir<br />
that would give him eternal life. But when he betrayed the<br />
sorceress (Michelle Yeoh) who showed him where to find it,<br />
she put a curse on him, causing him and his armies to fall into<br />
a comatose state that could only be reversed by the Eye of<br />
Shangri-La. Now with the aid of Lin (Isabella Leong) to whom<br />
Alex is attracted, the O’Connell’s must stop the awakened emperor<br />
before he takes over the world. Their journey is fraught<br />
with horrifying monsters and a seemingly unconquerable force.<br />
112 min. (Slavin)<br />
Partial Credits: Brendan Fraser (Journey to the Center of the Earth; The Air I Breathe; Crash; Looney Tunes: Back in Action; The Quiet American; The Mummy<br />
Returns; Monkeybone; Bedazzled; Dudley Do-Right; Blast From The Past; The Mummy; George Of The Jungle; Airheads; The Scout; With Honors; Encino<br />
Man; School Ties). Jet Li (The Forbidden Kingdom; War; Jet Li’s Fearless; Unleashed; Hero; Cradle 2 Grave; The One; Kiss of the Dragon; Romeo Must Die;<br />
Black Mask; Lethal Weapon 4). Maria Bello (The Jane Austen Book Club; Flicka; Thank You for Smoking; World Trade Center; A History of Violence; Assault<br />
on Precinct 13; Secret Window; The Cooler).<br />
November 2008 <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> 4
BURN AFTER READING (R: m, bd, gl, bs, bv) Comedy/Drama December 23<br />
DVD Extras: Featurettes include “Making-of.”<br />
CIA analyist Oswald Cox (John Malkovich) is a very angry man. He has just<br />
been demoted and his wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) doesn’t listen to anything<br />
he says. She’s too busy with other things, like her affair with Harry Pfarrer<br />
(George Clooney), a married man who also surfs the Internet for women to<br />
hook up with. Having quit his job, Oswald is now writing his memoirs, a computer<br />
disc of which is found by the cleaning man at Hardbodies Fitness Center.<br />
Two of the trainers there, Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad<br />
Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), thinking the disc contains top secret information, see<br />
an opportunity for blackmail. Linda is especially intent on getting money for<br />
a series of cosmetic surgeries, and pushes Chad into confronting Oswald, as<br />
well as searching his house for more of this “damaging evidence” to sell to<br />
the Russians. Meanwhile Linda, also a date surfer, hooks up with Harry, and<br />
the plot turns into a riotous farce. With Richard Jenkins. 96 min. (Slavin)<br />
DEATH RACE (R: m, bd, l, gv) Action/Thriller December 23<br />
The year is 2012 and the world economy has collapsed, with unemployment<br />
and crime at their highest rates ever. Reformed ex-con Jensen Ames<br />
(Jason Statham) has been framed for the murder of his wife and is<br />
sent to the infamous Terminal Island Prison, home of the most dangerous<br />
criminals and now run by private enterprise. Corporate interests being<br />
what they are, Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen) runs a nationally broadcast<br />
pay-TV show called “Death Race,” which pits prisoners against each<br />
other in a “kill or be killed” competition that makes a demolition derby<br />
look like a kiddy carousel. And she needs Ames to take the place of her<br />
star racer Frankenstein, who unbeknownst to others, died in his last race,<br />
losing to top rival Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson). But when Ames<br />
figures out who really killed his wife, he must figure out a way to turn<br />
the tables on the warden. Ian McShane is featured in this fast-paced<br />
adventure. 89 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: includes rated and unrated cuts.<br />
THE HOUSE BUNNY (PG-13: m, d, bl, bpn) Comedy December 23<br />
DVD Extras: Deleted Scenes; Featurettes; more.<br />
She was raised in an orphanage, but when Shelley (Anna Faris) grew up, she<br />
became a raving beauty and found a home at the Playboy Mansion belonging<br />
to Hugh Hefner (playing himself). She couldn’t have been happier, but when<br />
she awoke the morning after her 27th birthday party, she was given a note<br />
evicting her from the house. With nowhere to go, she wandered around until<br />
she found a sorority house that was on the verge of losing its charter, and<br />
successfully talked herself into a job as the house mother of seven geeky girls.<br />
With the seemingly impossible task of getting thirty pledges in order to avoid<br />
being closed down, and the underhanded tactics of a rival sorority making<br />
sure they failed, Shelley with her ever-positive attitude and sexy approach,<br />
worked her magic transforming the girls (Emma Stone, Katherine McPhee<br />
and Rumer Willis among them), while they helped her find a boyfriend (Colin<br />
Hanks). But there were still problems to overcome. 97 min. (Slavin)<br />
THE WOMEN (PG-13: m, bd, bl) Comedy/Drama December 23<br />
In this remake of the 1939 Anita Loos classic, Meg Ryan stars as Mary<br />
Haynes, a well-to-do suburban housewife whose husband is having an affair<br />
with sultry Saks Fifth Avenue sales clerk Crystal Allen (Eva Mendes).<br />
When a chatty manicurist (Debi Mazar) unwittingly spills the beans to<br />
Mary’s closest friend, magazine editor Sylvia Fowler (Annette Bening),<br />
who in turn shares the info with her other best pals, the ever-pregnant<br />
Edie Cohen (Debra Messing), and lesbian Alex Fisher (Jada Pinkett<br />
Smith), they try to keep it a secret. But Mary goes to the same manicurist.<br />
In spite of the comfort and advice she receives from her mother (Candice<br />
Bergen), her housekeeper (Cloris Leachman), and a woman she meets<br />
at a spa (Bette Midler), Mary still throws the bum out. The difficult times<br />
over the next few months cause rifts between Mary and her friends, but<br />
will loyalty, honesty, and trust eventually win out? Carrie Fisher has a<br />
cameo as a poison pen columnist. 114 min. (Slavin)<br />
5<br />
<strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong><br />
December 2008
TRAITOR (PG-13: m, bl, v) Drama/Suspense/Thriller December 19<br />
Imprisoned in Yemen for selling explosives to terrorists, Samir (Don<br />
Cheadle) is befriended by fellow prisoner Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui), who<br />
is impressed with his devout attention to the Muslim faith. The two men<br />
escape and Samir joins Omar’s group, recruiting and training youths to be<br />
suicide bombers. After a bombing in Spain, FBI agents Roy Clayton (Guy<br />
Pearce) and Max Archer (Neil McDonough) learn about dozens of terrorists<br />
recently arrived in America with one objective in mind. With Samir<br />
as their prime suspect as the major player in these terrorist activities, the<br />
FBI conducts an investigation and finds that he grew up in Chicago and<br />
was a Special Operations Officer in the United States Army, an explosives<br />
expert. He then went to Sudan and got back in touch with his roots and his<br />
religion. As suspicions about him mount, Samir becomes more and more<br />
involved in this web of intrigue. But he’s determined to accomplish his<br />
mission. With Jeff Daniels as a CIA official. 114 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: Commentary; Behind-the-Scenes footage of stunts, special effects; more.<br />
THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE (PG-13: m, v) Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller December 2<br />
Dana Scully (Gillan Anderson) is a dedicated surgeon, no longer associated with the<br />
Federal Bureau of Investigation. But when a psychic pedophilic former priest (Billy<br />
Connelly) sees things that could aid the bureau’s efforts to find a missing agent, Assistant<br />
Special Agent in Charge Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) asks her to get Fox<br />
Mulder (David Duchovny) to come out of exile to help. Scully, of course, is still a skeptic,<br />
and Mulder is still a believer in the extraoridinary; however, he won’t get involved<br />
unless Dana does too. She reluctantly agrees, but since she has a critical and controversial<br />
issue regarding a dying young patient, she soon leaves Mulder to go it alone.<br />
A journey filled with serial killings, underground medical experiments, and decisions<br />
to make about psychic powers. It’s been six years since their last TV episode, but Scully<br />
and Mulder are still getting it on… and the chemistry is still there. 100 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: Commentary; Deleted Scenes; Gag Reel; more.<br />
HAMLET 2 (R: m, d, l) Comedy December 23<br />
DVD Extras: Commentary; Deleted Scenes; more.<br />
December 2008 <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> 6<br />
He made a few TV commercials, but Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan) never made it<br />
as an actor. So he and his hard-drinking wife (Catherine Keener) moved to Arizona<br />
where he took a thankless job as the drama teacher at a high school that had little<br />
interest in its arts programs. And to top it off, except for a couple a geeky acting<br />
addicts (Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole), his class consisted solely of totally disinterested<br />
roughneck kids. Dana’s plays thus far had been duds, and he was given one<br />
last chance to keep his job. So he decided to write his own version of a Shakespearean<br />
classic and get the kids to do it. But when the principal and parents saw how sacrilegious<br />
it appeared to be, it was sure to be closed down. In stepped an ACLU lawyer<br />
(Amy Poehler) who sided with Marschz, and as they say, “The play’s the thing.”<br />
David Arquette is featured, and Elizabeth Shue plays herself. 92 min. (Slavin)<br />
AN AMERICAN CAROL (PG-13: bd, bl) Comedy/Fantasy December 30<br />
At a Fourth of July picnic, a grandfather (Leslie Nielsen) tells a group of children a story<br />
that’s a variation on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: Liberal documentary maker Michael<br />
Malone (Kevin Farley, brother of the late comedian Chris Farley… playing a character<br />
clearly based on Michael Moore), who’s campaigning to abolish the Independence Day<br />
holiday, is visited by several ghosts… including Gen. George S. Pattton (Kelsey Grammer)<br />
and George Washington (Jon Voight), who show him the error of his ways and his political<br />
philosophy. At the same time, a group of Afghan terrorists have approached Malone to<br />
shoot their next “training video,” and he’s hoping their funding will enable him to make his<br />
first feature film and get out of being a “mere” documentarian. From writer/director David<br />
Zucker, (Airplane!, The Naked Gun, Scary Movie 3 and 4). 83 min.<br />
Related <strong>Views</strong><br />
Please Visit our Website for the full list - www.morevideoviews.com<br />
MAMMA MIA (Musicals) Hairspray; Grease; Dreamgirls; Rent; Little Shop of Horrors; Chicago; West Side Story; Sweeney Todd; Across the Universe;<br />
The Producers; Phantom of the Opera; Moulin Rouge<br />
STEP BROTHERS (Sibling Rivalries) The Savages; The Darjeeling Limited; Stuck on You; Adaptation; Atonement; In Her Shoes; The Other Boleyn<br />
Girl; Cruel Intentions; Raising Helen; Margot at the Wedding; Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead<br />
BURN AFTER READING (Dark Comedies) School for Scoundrels;You Kill Me; Mr and Mrs Smith; Ice Harvest; Trainspotting; Little Miss Sunshine;<br />
Death To Smoochy; Death at a Funeral; Secretary; The Savages; Fargo; Running with Scissors; The Ladykillers; American Beauty; Gross Pointe<br />
Blank; The Cable Guy
Sid Skolnik’s Movie Contest Win $50.00<br />
Match the correct title with the most appropriate clue.<br />
One entry per person. Mail your answers to “Movie Contest” P.O. Box 596 Palos Park, IL 60464 or e-mail your entry to:<br />
contest@morevideoviews.com. You must include where you obtained <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong>, as well as your current address. All entries must be sent by December 31.<br />
The entry with the MOST CORRECT answers wins. Ties will be broken by a drawing.<br />
This month’s winner will be announced in the February 2009 issue of <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong>.<br />
Clues<br />
1. “I don’t read the script. The script reads me!”<br />
2. “Mom was right about you!”<br />
3. “I know; I’m ugly!”<br />
4. 1925.<br />
5. A bottling plant in Brazil.<br />
6. He gets a promotion.<br />
7. Scotland<br />
8. He left her at the alter.<br />
9. Los Angeles.<br />
10.<br />
1. FAR CRY 2 (XBOX 360, PS3)<br />
2. GEARS OF WAR 2 (XBOX 3, PS3)<br />
3. FALLOUT 3 (XBOX 360, PS3)<br />
4. SAINTS ROW 2 (XBOX 360, PS3)66<br />
5. DEAD SPACE (XBOX 360, PS3)<br />
A. Hancock<br />
B. Leatherheads<br />
C. Get Smart<br />
D. The Incredible Hulk.<br />
E. Run Fatboy Run<br />
F. Tropic Thunder<br />
G. Hellboy II<br />
H. Fred Claus<br />
I. Maid of Honor<br />
J. Meet Dave<br />
October Answers 1-C; 2-G-; 3-A; 4-I; 5-B; 6-H; 7-J; 8-D; 9-E; 10-F<br />
October Contest Winner:<br />
Jody Hale of Tonganoxie, KS<br />
Must call 708-671-1952 to claim prize!<br />
All monthly winners are entered into the year end $200 Grand Prize drawing.<br />
See our website for more details.<br />
Movies<br />
<strong>Video</strong> Game <strong>Views</strong><br />
TOP 10 (11- 25 on www.morevideoviews.com)<br />
More Cash Contests<br />
on our web page<br />
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6. JAMES BOND 007: QUANTUM OF SOLACE (XBOX 360, PS3, Wii)<br />
7. MIDNIGHT CLUB LOS ANGELES (XBOX 360, PS3)<br />
8. FABLE II (XBOX 360)<br />
9. STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED (XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, PS2)<br />
10. CALL OF DUTY 4: WORLD AT WAR (XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, PS2)<br />
PRINCE OF PERSIA (PS3, XBox 360) December 2<br />
A new hero emerges: Master the acrobatics, strategy and fighting tactics of the most agile warrior of all time. Grip<br />
fall down the face of a building, and swing over canyons, buildings and anything that is reachable.This new rogue<br />
warrior must utilize all of his new skills, along with a whole new combat system, to battle Ahriman’s corrupted<br />
lieutenants to heal the land from the dark Corruption and restore the light.<br />
RISE OF THE ARGONAUTS (PS3, XBOX360) December 16<br />
As the King of Iolcus, Jason had everything… a prosperous kingdom, the respect<br />
of his peers, and a beautiful fiancé. When she was killed on their wedding<br />
day, he vowed to do anything to restore her life. Now, in order to accomplish<br />
this heroic feat Jason must seek out the Golden Fleece, and with the help of<br />
some of Greek mythology’s greatest heroes, Jason will set sail on the most epic<br />
voyage of all time.<br />
HEI$T (PS3, XBOX 360) December 31<br />
Allows gamers to become the leader of a group of renegade criminals as they rob and steal their way throughout<br />
San Francisco, all the while their sites set on the big score… the Mint. It’s 1969, the summer of love in San Francisco.<br />
Playing as Johnny Sutton, fresh out of jail, and together with reunited crew, players are set to pull off dozens<br />
of heists that will inevitably make a name for him as the greatest bank robber of all time.<br />
<strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> December 2008 Vol. 19 Issue 12<br />
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7<br />
<strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong><br />
December 2008
* Indicates a new entry - This list reflects current popularity<br />
Top<br />
2. *WALL·E (G) Animated Sci-Fi/Comedy (see page 15)<br />
3. *TROPIC THUNDER (R: m, gd, gl, v) Comedy/Action Ben Stiller, Robert<br />
Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Bill Hader,<br />
Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Brandon Jackson, Danny McBride. They’re shooting a<br />
movie based on the Vietnam war starring a five-time Oscar winner, an Australian who has<br />
undergone a surgical makeover in order to play a black sergeant; a Rambo-like action hero,<br />
whose career has plummeted; a dopehead, who has gained fame as a farting fatty in his<br />
films; and a rapper, known for his commercial ventures Directed by an incompetent director<br />
and supported by an overzealous explosives expert, the actors, along with a new kid venture<br />
off to do their scene, when everything goes wrong and they find themselves in the middle<br />
of real-life danger. 107 min.<br />
4. *FRED CLAUS (PG) Comedy/Fantasy (see page 15)<br />
6. *HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (PG-13: bl, v) Action/Fantasy Directed<br />
by Guillermo Del Toro. Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John<br />
Hurt. The director of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is trying to keep his<br />
supernatural agents a secret. But when Prince Nuada steps into the picture in an attempt<br />
to reverse a century old treaty between his family and the humans, Hellboy, his “superhot”<br />
wife Liz, and Abe the lovable fish creature blow their cover in order to stop him. They are<br />
joined by a new agent, an ultra-organized bossy robot Johann Strauss, and together they<br />
must keep Nuada from obtaining the missing piece of a crown that will locate the Golden<br />
Army of automatons the evil prince plans use to vanquish the human race. 110 min.<br />
7. *KUNG FU PANDA (PG) Comedy/Action (see page 15)<br />
9. *SPACE CHIMPS (G) Animated Comedy/Sci-fi (see page 15)<br />
December 2008 <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> 8<br />
50<br />
1. *HANCOCK (PG-13: bl, v) Action/Comedy/Fantasy Will Smith, Charlize<br />
Theron, Jason Bateman. John Hancock is an unhappy and reluctant superhero who is<br />
depressed and has started drinking very heavily. He has saved many lives in Los Angeles<br />
over the years, but in doing so, he has no regards for damaging buildings, trains, roads,<br />
cars, or anything that gets in his way. People have had enough of Hancock, and they<br />
want him to stop or go to another city. Then one day, Hancock saves the life of Ray<br />
Embrey from being run over by a train. Ray is a public relations executive who owes<br />
Hancock his life, and he makes it his mission to change his superhero’s image and have<br />
the public cheering him. But his wife Mary had some real problems with that… and for<br />
good reason. 92 min.<br />
5. *THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 (PG-13: m, bs)<br />
Comedy/Drama/Romance America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel,<br />
Blake Lively, Blythe Danner, Kyle MacLachlan, Shohreh Aghdashloo. Now three<br />
years later, it’s summer break from college and the girls get together… but only briefly.<br />
Bridget is going on an archeological dig in Turkey. Carmen had planned to spend time<br />
with her pregnant mother, but decided at the last moment to go to an acting workshop<br />
in Vermont. Lena has a scholarship at the Rhode Island School of Design, and Tibby is<br />
remaining in New York to work on her script for summer school at NYU. While staying<br />
in touch by sending the pants to each other, they are unaware of the problems they face<br />
while apart. 117 min<br />
8. *GET SMART (PG-13: bd, bl, bv) Comedy/Action Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway,<br />
Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Terry Crews, David Koechner.<br />
Based on the classic television show. Maxwell Smart has been trying hard to become a<br />
CONTROL field agent, but is considered too important as an analyst by The Chief. So he<br />
continues to work in the office with his colleagues. However, when KAOS assassinates<br />
all of the existing field agents, Maxwell is promoted to Agent 86 status and is sent in to<br />
work with capable Agent 99 in order to find the source of a radioactive substance being<br />
manufactured by Siegfried, the head of KAOS. In spite of all his bumbling, 86 and 99 track<br />
down Siegfried, but no evidence of the weapons is found, and Max is thought to be a<br />
double agent. 110 min.
<strong>Views</strong><br />
11. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (PG) Adventure/Sci-Fi (see page 15)<br />
12. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (PG-13: bd, v) Action/Fantasy Edward Norton,<br />
Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson. Now a fugitive, hiding<br />
out in Brazil and working in a bottling plant, brilliant scientist Dr. Bruce Banner is<br />
striving to control his anger and find a cure for the blood condition that turns him<br />
into the green hulk. But an accident at the factory causes a drop of his blood to get<br />
into a soda bottle, thereby allowing General “Thunderbolt” Ross to locate him and<br />
hunt him down. Close to a cure, and driven by his passion for the general’s daughter,<br />
his one true love, Banner returns home, not only to be continually hounded by the<br />
warmongering military men, but also beset by an egocentric soldier, who has been<br />
turned into an evil monster. 114 min.<br />
14. THE STRANGERS (R: m, l, bs, gv) Horror/Suspense Thriller Liv Tyler,<br />
Scott Speedman. Kristen and James have arrived at a secluded vacation home in<br />
the woods after attending a friend’s wedding. It’s four in the morning when there is<br />
heavy knock at the door. They open it to find a dazed young woman hidden in the<br />
shadows. Assuming she is lost, James sends her away, but Kristen is disturbed by the<br />
late-night visit. Later, when James leaves to go on a drive and pick up some cigarettes,<br />
Kristen is left alone, moving through the huge house in a painfully eerie silence, all<br />
the while knowing that she is being watched. By the time James returns, Kristen is<br />
in hysterics, and together they must face the terrifying fact that they are indeed in<br />
grave danger. 90 min.<br />
16. *MEET DAVE (PG) Comedy/Sci-Fi (see page 15)<br />
10. *STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (PG) Animated Sci-Fi/<br />
Action Matt Lanter. The son of Jabba the Hut has been kidnapped, and in<br />
spite of their conflicts, the Jedi must try to rescue him in order to keep their<br />
outer ring safe from the Separatists. But all the Jedi knights are busy fighting the<br />
Separatists’ droid armies. Since it appeared that Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan-<br />
Kenobe had polished off their mission, Master Yoda and the General send for<br />
them to find Jaba’s son. While Anakin and his Padawan learner fight on, Kenobe<br />
is on the brink of surrender. Count Dooku and his sinister agents will stop at nothing<br />
to ensure that Anakin fails in his quest. Meanwhile on the front lines, Yoda<br />
and Kenobe lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of<br />
the dark side. 98 min.<br />
13. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL<br />
SKULL (PG-13: v) Action/Adventure Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf,<br />
Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent. It’s<br />
1957, and this time “Indy” and his sidekick “Mac” have been kidnapped by a<br />
gang led by Russian KGB agent Irina Spalko, who wants them to lead her to a<br />
supernatural treasure. Jones escapes but when motorcycling greaser Mutt Williams<br />
shows him a cryptic letter from mutual friend Professor Oxley, “Indy” is<br />
enticed into joining the kid in following a series of riddles taking them on a death<br />
defying journey into the wilds of Peru, Spalko is once again on their trail, which<br />
leads to a reunion with old girlfriend Marion Ravenswood and surprises for both<br />
Indy and Mutt. 124 min.<br />
15. *THIS CHRISTMAS (PG-13: m, bd, bl, bv) Comedy/Drama Delroy Lindo,<br />
Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, Laz Alonso, Regina King, Mekhi Phifer.<br />
The Whitford family has gathered for Christmas. And as intelligent, financially comfortable,<br />
and respectful as they are, each seems to have something they don’t want any one<br />
else to know. The kids don’t know that Ma’Dere’s boyfriend Joe is living in… except for<br />
Michael aka “Baby,” who is keeping quiet about his musical asprirations. Daughter Lisa,<br />
who wants to sell the family business as well as her mother’s home, has an unfaithful<br />
husband. While everyone is so proud of his uniform, no one knows that Claude is AWOL.<br />
And Quentin, who hasn’t spent Christmas with the family in four years, attracts thug<br />
creditors to the house. 117 min.<br />
9<br />
<strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong><br />
December 2008
Top 50 <strong>Views</strong> Continued...<br />
* Indicates a new entry - This list reflects current popularity<br />
18. THE HAPPENING (R: m, gv) Suspense/Thriller Written and directed by M.<br />
Night Shyamalan. Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo. According to<br />
reports, citizens in the vicinity of Central Park in New York City have suddenly and inexplicably<br />
began killing themselves by whatever means are at their disposal. As the phenomena<br />
begins to spread and talk of terrorism fills the airwaves, Philadelphia high school science<br />
teacher Elliot Moore, his wife, and their friend and his daughter board a train bound for<br />
the presumed safety of the country. When the train screeches to a halt before arriving at<br />
its final destination, the frightened passengers are forced to fend for themselves as each<br />
consecutive news report paints an increasingly grim picture of the situation. 91 min.<br />
20. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (R: a, gd, gl, bgn, s) Comedy/<br />
Romance Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Russell Brand, Mila Kunis, Jonah Hill, Paul<br />
Rudd, Jack McBrayer, Bill Hader. Sarah is a beautiful and successful television star who<br />
has been dating Peter for five years. Peter has been struggling to create an innovative musical,<br />
but because of his relationship with Sarah, is satisfied writing the background music<br />
for her series So he’s shocked and emotionally destroyed when she tells him that while<br />
she loves him, she has found someone new… kinky English rock star Aldous Snow. Peter’s<br />
step-brother convinces him to get out and play the field, but that doesn’t work. Maybe a<br />
trip to Hawaii will help. But who’s there too? Sarah and Aldous, of course. 112 min.<br />
22. KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL (G) Drama/Comedy (see page 15)<br />
23. LEATHERHEADS (PG-13: bl) Comedy/Romance George Clooney (also<br />
directed), Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Root. It’s<br />
1925. Dodge Connolly is a free-spirited, hard-living player in the fledgling American<br />
professional football league. When his team loses its sponsor, Dodge reinvents the<br />
game with the assistance of C.C. Frazier, a greedy public relations man, and Carter<br />
Rutherford, a too-good-to-be-true college football star and war hero. Just as the game<br />
begins to peak the interest of the American public, Dodge and Carter find themselves at<br />
odds and the fragile credibility of the league teetering in the balance when they cross paths<br />
with Lexie Littleton, a beautiful, ambitious reporter from the Chicago Tribune. 114 min.<br />
December 2008 <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> 10<br />
17. IRON MAN (PG-13: bd, v) Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi Robert Downey,<br />
Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb. Directed by Jon<br />
Favreau. Tony Stark is as brilliant as he is wealthy. As CEO of Stark Industries he has<br />
changed the face of the weapons world. While in the Mideast presenting his newest<br />
weapon to the US military, he is caught in an ambush and wakes up in the hands of terrorists<br />
who insist that he build his weapon for them. Instead he creates an impenetrable<br />
suit, complete with built-in weapons that allow him to beat his captors and escape. Once<br />
free, Stark discovers a deadly conspiracy that could destabilize the entire globe, and dons<br />
his powerful new suit on a mission to stop the villains and save the world. 126 min.<br />
19. YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (PG-13: m, d, bl, bpn, s) Comedy/<br />
Action Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan,<br />
Rob Schneider. Zohan Dvir, is the Israeli army’s best weapon. He can single-handedly<br />
take out terrorists, and still find time to charm the ladies. But this lethal weapon is tired of<br />
fighting Palestinian terrorists like the Phantom. He has bigger dreams: he wants to cut and<br />
style hair. With an assumed identity, after faking his own death, he arrives in New York City,<br />
but his lack of experience gets him laughed out of salon after salon. Finally, Dalia, a Palestinian<br />
salon owner, gives him a shot, and the older patrons love him. But a Palestinian New York City<br />
cabbie recognizes him, and suddenly the Zohan’s dream is in jeopardy. 113 min.<br />
21. *TRANSSIBERIAN (R: m, bl, bv) Drama/Suspense/Thriller Woody Harrelson,<br />
Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega, Ben Kingsley. An American<br />
couple who have been struggling with their marriage, Roy and Jessie, decide to take the<br />
long way home from their recent sojourn in Asia on the legendary Trans-siberian Express<br />
train from Beijing to Moscow. On their way, they meet another couple from the West,<br />
Carlos and Abby, with whom they quickly form a familiar bond that often unites fellow<br />
travellers away from home. When Roy accidentally gets separated from the group at a stopover,<br />
Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots aren’t exactly who or what they seem to be.<br />
Then more danger begins to surface from a deceitful Russian detective. 111 min.
25. *THE PERFECT HOLIDAY (PG) Comedy/Romance (see page 15)<br />
24. WAR, INC. (R: m, l, bs, v) Comedy/Action John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei,<br />
Hilary Duff, Ben Kingsley, Ben Cross, Dan Akroyd, Ned Bellamy. A political satire set in Turaqistan,<br />
a country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former US Vice-President. In an effort<br />
to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, the corporation’s CEO hires a troubled hit<br />
man to kill a Middle East oil minister. Now, struggling with his own growing demons, the assassin<br />
must pose as the corporation’s trade show producer in order to pull off this latest hit, while maintaining<br />
his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah an outrageous Middle<br />
Eastern pop star, and keeping a sexy left wing reporter in check. 107 min.<br />
26. SEX AND THE CITY (R: a, gd, l, bgn, gs) Comedy/Drama/Romance Sarah Jessica<br />
Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, Jennifer Hudson, Evan Handler,<br />
David Eigenberg, Jason Lewis. Follow up to the TV series. The foursome are still friends. Miranda and<br />
Steve are married and living in Brooklyn; Charlotte and Harry have adopted Lily from China; Samantha<br />
has moved to Malibu to be with Smith, whose Hollywood career has skyrocketed; and Carrie and Big<br />
have decided to get married. But when Steve drops a bomb on Miranda, Charlotte comes up with a big<br />
surprise for everybody, Samantha is unable to get New York out of her system, Big gets cold feet, and<br />
dissention creeps into the close relationship of two of the girls, we’re in for a rocky ride. 148 min.<br />
27. BABY MAMA (PG-13: m, d, bl) Comedy Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax<br />
Shepard, Romany Malco, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor. Successful<br />
and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook has long put her career ahead of a personal life. Now<br />
37, she’s finally determined to have a kid on her own. After unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilization<br />
and adoption, she reluctantly hires a surrogate. But the executive’s well-organized strategy is turned<br />
upside down when her Baby Mama, gum-smacking working girl Angie Ostrowiski shows up at her<br />
doorstep with no place to live. Sructured Kate tries to turn Angie into the perfect expectant mom and<br />
they struggle their way through preparation for the baby’s arrival. 99 min.<br />
28. MADE OF HONOR (PG-13: m, d, bl, bs) Comedy/Romance Patrick Dempsey, Michelle<br />
Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kadeem Hardison, Sydney Pollack, Kathleen Quinlan. Ten years ago,<br />
Tom and Hannah met under the most unusual circumstances, yet in spite of her refusing his advances,<br />
became very close friends. Tom is still the womanizing bachelor he always was, saving Sundays for his<br />
best friend Hannah. After a while, it seems that Hannah is starting to have feelings for Tom, and when<br />
she has to travel to Scotland on business, Tom truly misses her and decides that she is the only woman<br />
he wants. But upon her return she introduces her fiancé to Tom and asks him to be the “maid” of honor<br />
at their wedding in Scotland. Tom agrees, but needs to find a way to stop the marriage. 101 min.<br />
29. RUN FATBOY RUN (PG-13: bd, bl, bpn) Comedy/Romance Simon Pegg, Thandie<br />
Newton, Hank Azaria, Dylan Moran. Dennis Doyle left his pregnant bride Libby at the altar, and over<br />
five years later, he’s still after her. But she’s now dating Whit, a good-looking, well-to-do hedge fund<br />
manager. And Dennis is a dork who can’t even pay his rent from his salary as a security. He’s a loving<br />
father to their son, but his incompetence and irresponsibility seem to be no competition for Libby’s affections<br />
as are Whit’s good manners and considerate behavior. In an attempt to prove his worthiness,<br />
Dennis decides to join Whit in running the Nike River Run marathon to show he’s more than a quitter<br />
but then finds out just how much sweat, strain and tears it takes to run for 26 miles. 100 min.<br />
30. THE VISITOR (PG-13: bl) Drama/Comedy<br />
31. 88 MINUTES (R: m, bd, bl, bn, bs, v) Drama/Suspense/Thriller<br />
32. DECEPTION (R: m, bgd, l, bn, s, bv) Suspense/Thriller<br />
33. THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (PG-13: v) Action/Fantasy<br />
34. THE LOVE GURU (PG-13: m, d, bs, bv) Comedy<br />
35. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN VEGAS (PG-13: m, bd, bl, bs) Comedy/Romance<br />
36. STUCK (R: a,l, n, s, gv) Suspense/Thriller<br />
37. PATHOLOGY (R: m, d, l, n, s, gv) Suspense/Thriller<br />
38. EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED (PG) Documentary<br />
39. SPEED RACER (PG) Action/Adventure<br />
40. STREET KINGS (R: m, gd, gl, gv) Drama/Thriller<br />
41. SNOW ANGELS (R: m, bgd, l, bs, bv) Drama<br />
42. THEN SHE FOUND ME (R: m, bl, bs) Comedy/Drama/Romance<br />
43. MARRIED LIFE (PG-13: m, bs) Drama/Suspense<br />
44. SMART PEOPLE (R: m, bgd, l, bs) Comedy/Drama/Romance<br />
45. PROM NIGHT (PG-13: m, bd, bl, v) Suspense/Thriller<br />
46. THE FALL (R: m, bv) Drama/Adventure/Fantasy<br />
47. MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY (PG-13) Comedy/Drama/Romance<br />
48. 21 (PG-13: m, bpn, bs, bv) Drama/Suspense<br />
49. REDBELT (R: m, l, bv) Drama/Action<br />
50. THE BANK JOB (R: m, d, n, s, v) Suspense/Thriller<br />
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Hail to the Chief<br />
Now that the election is over and we prepare for a new leader in Washington,<br />
it is appropriate that we consider our movie Presidents and<br />
candidates for that office. Starting off with a few comedies about the<br />
campaign process, watch Robin Williams as a news satire program<br />
host win his run for President in MAN OF THE YEAR, co-starring Laura<br />
Linney, Christopher Walken, and Lewis<br />
Black. And in HEAD OF STATE, Chris<br />
Rock plays yet another unlikely candidate.<br />
Quite a few famous actors have<br />
played the President of the United<br />
States. For example, Jeff Bridges sat<br />
in the Oval Office as Joan Allen struggled<br />
to become the Vice-President in<br />
THE CONTENDER. THE AMERICAN<br />
PRESIDENT played by Michael Douglas<br />
romanced a lobbyist (Annette Bening),<br />
and Mark Harmon had to watch<br />
out for the first daughter as he played<br />
the Commander-in-Chief in CHASING<br />
LIBERTY. Dennis Quaid showed his<br />
versatility by playing the President<br />
from an untypical comic perspective in AMERICAN DREAMZ; while<br />
William Hurt did a convincing job with his small role as the President<br />
in VANTAGE POINT. Kevin Kline, in a double role, played both the<br />
President as well as a guy hired to impersonate him in DAVE. Three<br />
Presidents in one movie? Yes, in MY FELLOW AMERICANS, a couple<br />
By Art Slavin<br />
of past Presidents (Jack Lemmon and James Gardner)<br />
romped across the country while Dan Aykroyd was in<br />
office. Not a good guy, but a President who abused his office was<br />
played by Gene Hackman in ABSOLUTE POWER. But Nick Nolte portrayed<br />
one of our most respected leaders in JEFFERSON IN PARIS. And<br />
John Travolta looked and acted awfully<br />
like one of our more recent Chief<br />
Executives in PRIMARY COLORS.<br />
But I seriously doubt that Jack Nicholson’s<br />
portrayal of the President<br />
in MARS ATTACKS! was intended to<br />
be realistic in the face of aliens. The<br />
science-fiction thriller INDEPEND-<br />
ENCE DAY, however, took the alien<br />
situation more seriously when Bill<br />
Pullman had to make some tough<br />
decisions as President of the United<br />
States. More Presidents in troubling<br />
situations were played by Harrison<br />
Ford in AIR FORCE ONE, Donald Moffat<br />
in CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER<br />
(starring Harrison Ford), Ronny Cox in MURDER AT 1600 (with Diane<br />
Lane and Wesley Snipes), Jim Curley in IN THE LINE OF FIRE (starring<br />
Clint Eastwood), David Rasche in THE SENTINEL (with Michael<br />
Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland), and Bruce Greenwood in NATIONAL<br />
TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (starring Nicolas Cage).<br />
Based on a True Story<br />
Some movies claim to be “Based on a True Story.” This often means<br />
some of the action really happened to someone; but names, dates,<br />
places or even some of the plot have<br />
been changed to make a better story.<br />
FLAWLESS (2007) is loosely inspired<br />
by a true story. In London in 1960, a<br />
janitor (Michael Caine) convinces the<br />
only woman executive (Demi Moore)<br />
in the company that controlled the<br />
world’s diamond supply to help him<br />
steal a few gems. Instead, he steals<br />
all of them. DREAMGIRLS (2006)<br />
changes names and music, but you<br />
know it’s really about Diana Ross and<br />
the Supremes and Motown Records<br />
mogul Berry Gordy. More serious<br />
stories include A MIGHTY HEART<br />
(2007). In 2002 terrorists kidnapped<br />
U.S. newspaper reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) in Pakistan.<br />
His wife Mariane (Angelina Jolie) galvanized the government and<br />
used the media to try to rescue him. On 9/11, two Port Authority<br />
policemen (Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena) were trapped in the<br />
wreckage of the WORLD TRADE CENTER (2006). This is the story of<br />
their courage and of the men who risked their lives to dig them out.<br />
By Susan Varno<br />
Other heartwarming takes include THE GREATEST<br />
GAME EVER PLAYED (2005), THE WORLD’S FAST-<br />
EST INDIAN (2005)<br />
and THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFI-<br />
ANCE, OHIO (2005). Some true<br />
stories tell of people who made a<br />
difference. Inspired by their coach<br />
(Denzel Washington), in 1935 THE<br />
GREAT DEBATERS (2007) from all<br />
black Wiley College in Texas started<br />
debating white colleges. After winning<br />
most of these contests, their<br />
coach challenged Harvard University<br />
to a debate. Harvard accepted. A<br />
woman (Charlize Theron) fought sexual<br />
harassment in the 1970’s coal<br />
mining industry in NORTH COUNTRY<br />
(2005), a 1960’s Washington D.C.<br />
radio talk show host (Don Cheadle) asked his listeners to TALK TO<br />
ME (2007) the night Martin Luther King died, and a football coach<br />
(Matthew McConaughey) put together a new squad after the Marshall<br />
University team died in a 1970 plane crash in WE ARE MARSHALL<br />
(2006).<br />
Another Look – Hugh Jackman<br />
Born October 12, 1968, the youngest of five children, Hugh Michael Jackman grew up in Sydney, New South<br />
Wales, Australia. When he was eight, his mother returned to England, leaving his father to raise the family.<br />
Hugh took up acting at his private boys school, starring in “My Fair Lady.” After earning a journalism degree<br />
from Sydney’s University of Technology, he joined the Academy of Performing Arts in Perth. On graduation,<br />
the 6’ 2½” actor became a regular on the Aussie TV shows “Correlli” (1995) and “Halifax F. P.” (1998), and he<br />
hosted the lifestyle series “In Fashion” (1997). His first movie roles were in a couple of Aussie films in 1999.<br />
Jackman’s starring role in the London production of “Oklahoma!” (1999) inspired director Bryan Singer to cast<br />
him as mutant superhero Wolverine in X-MEN (2000). He reprised the role in X-2 (2003) and X-MEN: THE LAST<br />
STAND (2006), and he plans to star in the spin off X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE in 2009. In 2001, he fell for<br />
Ashley Judd in SOMEONE LIKE YOU, was a reluctant hacker in the heist thriller SWORDFISH, and time-traveled<br />
to NYC to romance Meg Ryan in KATE AND LEOPOLD. After winning a Tony as Peter Allen in “The Boy From Oz”<br />
on Broadway, Jackman played VAN HELSING (2004), hunter of classic Transylvanian monsters. In 2006, he was exceptionally busy. Director<br />
Woody Allen starred him as a British playboy and possible serial killer in SCOOP. For THE FOUNTAIN he played a Spanish Conquistador, a<br />
present day neuroscientist and a future space traveler, all searching for the “Tree of Life.” In THE PRESTIGE he was an early 1900’s London<br />
stage magician whose rivalry with Christian Bale leads to experimenting with life and death. In animated features Jackman voiced a tap<br />
dancing penguin in HAPPY FEET and a rat who is FLUSHED AWAY into the London sewers. In DECEPTION (2008) he’s lures Ewan McGregor<br />
into a life of depravity and murder.<br />
December 2008 <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> 12<br />
Please visit www.morevideoviews.com for the full articles
Look for more Family choices in our other sections.<br />
DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO! (G) Animated Comedy December 9<br />
December 2008 <strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong> 14<br />
The classic language of Dr. Seuss narrated by Charles Osgood is<br />
enhanced by clever additional dialog voiced by Jim Carrey, Steve<br />
Carell, Carol Burnett, and a host of other stars in this tale of the<br />
jolly elephant Horton (Carrey) who happens to hear voices coming<br />
from a speck of dust flying through the air. Of course, none of his<br />
neighbors believe him, especially the kangaroo (Burnett) who says<br />
“If you can’t see, hear, or feel it, it doesn’t exist.” But it does. On<br />
the speck is the town of Whoville, governed by its mayor (Carell),<br />
who begins to notice some strange changes, and then finally hears<br />
Horton. When the mayor finds that these changes might spell doom<br />
for the town, he asks Horton for help. Horton is determined to find<br />
a new home for Whoville, but everyone thinks he’s nuts. The residents<br />
of Whoville are equally concerned about the mayor’s strange behavior.<br />
88 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: Commentary; 2-disc includes Deleted Scenes and Featurettes.<br />
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (PG) Action/<br />
Adventure/Fantasy December 2<br />
One year later, but 1,300 years have passed in Narnia since the Pevensie<br />
siblings have been there. Caspian X (Ben Barnes), the rightful heir to the<br />
throne runs for his life from his evil Uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), Peter<br />
(William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Lucy (Georgie Henley), and<br />
Edmund (Skandar Keynes) are called back to help. The true Narnians, a<br />
community of little people, giant birds, minotaurs, centaurs, and talking<br />
animals both large and small, have been in self-exile hiding from the<br />
Telmarines who have taken over their kingdom. But now with Caspian and<br />
the Pevensies to lead them, they are willing to fight back. Their initial<br />
attempts are failures, but despite an effort by the White Witch (Tilda Swinton)<br />
to stop them, good triumphs over evil when Aslan (the voice of Liam<br />
Neeson) steps in. Featured are Peter Dinklage as a skeptical but dedicated<br />
dwarf and Eddie Izzard as the voice of a valiant mouse. It’s exciting with<br />
a meaningful moral. 144 min. (Slavin)<br />
DVD Extras: Commentary; Deleted Scenes; Featurettes.<br />
FLY ME TO THE MOON (G) Animated Adventure/Comedy December 2<br />
The year is 1969 and kids Nat (Trevor Gagnon), brainy IQ (Philip Daniel Bolden)<br />
and food-obsessed Scooter (David Gore) are lifelong friends who just so happen<br />
to be talking houseflies. Nat feels like his life is boring, especially compared to<br />
the events from his Grandpa’s (Christopher Lloyd) many years, including flying<br />
with Amelia Earhart on her transatlantic solo trip. Nat concocts the idea that<br />
he and his friends stow away onboard the Apollo 11 spaceflight to land a man<br />
on the moon much to the horror of the boys’ moms, including Nat’s (Kelly Ripa),<br />
who didn’t inherit Grandpa’s sense of adventure. They’re not alone, however, in<br />
showing surprise about the stowaways. Not wanting them to be the first flies on<br />
the moon, Russian General Poopchev (Ed Begley, Jr.) and Grandpa’s long-lost love,<br />
Nadia (Nicollette Sheridan), order their inside fly at Cape Canaveral, Yegor (Tim<br />
Curry), and his two goons to try to sabotage the trip. 90 min.<br />
THE LONGSHOTS (PG) Comedy/Drama December 2<br />
Based on the true story of the first female quarterback to play in a Pop Warner football<br />
game. In down-on-its-luck Minden, Illinois 11-year-old Jasmine Plummer (Keke Palmer)<br />
copes with the pain of an absentee father and her classmates’ constant antagonism.<br />
Jasmine’s fortunes begin to change with the emergence of her uncle, Curtis (Ice Cube).<br />
Once a rising football star but now out of work, Curtis dreams of escaping Minden for<br />
the sunny promise of Miami. But when he sees Jasmine’s gift for throwing the football,<br />
Curtis helps her overcome self-doubt and skepticism to join Minden’s woeful team.<br />
Inspired by Jasmine’s skill and toughness, and with the addition of Curtis as a coach,<br />
the team earns a spot in the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Miami. But as the national media<br />
swoop in to cover the team’s story, Jasmine and Curtis come face-to-face with their biggest<br />
obstacle: the reappearance of Jasmine’s father. 94 min.
2. FRED CLAUS (PG) Comedy/Fantasy Vince Vaughn, Paul<br />
Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Spacey, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth<br />
Banks, Kathy Bates, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges. Fred Claus has lived almost his entire<br />
life in his little brother’s very large shadow. Fred tried, but he could never live up to<br />
the example set by the younger Nicholas. True to form, Nicholas grew up to be the<br />
model of giving, while Fred became the polar opposite: a repo man who then steals<br />
what he repossesses. Now Fred’s dirty dealings have landed him in jail. Over Mrs.<br />
Claus’s objections, Nicholas agrees to bail his big brother out on one condition:<br />
that he come to the North Pole and work off his debt making toys. The trouble is that<br />
Fred isn’t exactly elf material. 116 min.<br />
4. SPACE CHIMPS (G) Animated Comedy/Sci-Fi Andy Samberg,<br />
Cheryl Hines, Patrick Warburton, Kristin Chenoweth, Stanley Tucci, Jeff Daniels. When a $5 billion<br />
NASA probe disappears into an intergalactic wormhole, the agency recruits Ham III, grandson<br />
of the first chimpanzee in space, to help retrieve the wayward craft. But Ham is a free-spirited<br />
circus performer more interested in zero gravity high jinks than living up to his illustrious heritage.<br />
The simian slacker becomes a reluctant hero and learns the true meaning of courage as he<br />
and his crewmates, the fearless Lt. Luna and their uptight commander, Titan, risk everything in<br />
an effort to save the peaceful inhabitants of a distant planet from an evil dictator. 81 min.<br />
1. WALL-E (G) Animated Sci-Fi/Comedy Jeff Garlin,<br />
John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver. It’s<br />
the year 2775 and Earth has been abandoned for centuries by humans<br />
whose trash eventually overwhelmed the planet. The one entity still at work,<br />
however, is a robot known as WALL·E, short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earthik. He<br />
spends his days scooping up and compacting garbage, but has developed a friendship with a<br />
little cockroach, and the desire to collect various discarded items that he keeps as trinkets.<br />
Things change when a spaceship unexpectedly lands on Earth and deposits an Extra-terrestrial<br />
Vegetation Evaluator known as EVE, sent by those onboard the Axiom, a state of the art mother<br />
ship that escaped Earth long ago. 97 min.<br />
3. KUNG FU PANDA (PG) Comedy/Action Jack Black, Dustin<br />
Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu,<br />
Michael Clarke Duncan. Po is a lazy, cumbersome panda who works in his father’s<br />
noodle shop in the Valley of Peace in China. Po would love to learn Kung Fu, but he’s<br />
satisfied just to go up to the palace to see who will be chosen as the Dragon Master.<br />
Will it be Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Mantis, or Crane? Much to their chagrin the unwitting<br />
Po is chosen. Master Shifu is forced to train the bumbling panda, but it will take<br />
years, if not decades, if it can be done at all. But time is of the essence, as the evil<br />
Tai Lung has escaped from his supposedly inpenetrable prison and is on his way to<br />
seek revenge by destroying the town. 88 min.<br />
5. MEET DAVE (PG) Comedy/Sci-Fi Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks,<br />
Gabrielle Union, Ed Helms, Scott Caan. The minuscule captain of an alien spaceship<br />
lands on Earth in the shape of a human being that looks just like him. The tiny crew is<br />
responsible for making the spaceship look and act like a human being as they search for<br />
a powerful orb that went off course and landed in Manhattan... sent months earlier to<br />
drain Earth’s oceans of their salt. Along the way, the captain--aka Dave--is befriended by<br />
a fifth-grade boy who is being raised by his artist mother. Although Dave and his crew<br />
landed on Earth believing that the human race is inferior, they soon realize that there is<br />
something to be said for emotions, feelings, and friendship. 90 min.<br />
6. THE PERFECT HOLIDAY (PG) Comedy/Fantasy/Romance<br />
Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Charlie Murphy, Katt Williams, Faizon Love. Nancy is a divorced<br />
mother of three who is so busy raising her children that she’s forgotten to take care of herself as<br />
well. With Christmas approaching, she takes her kids to the mall to meet Santa Claus, not knowing<br />
that her youngest daughter Emily has sensed her mother’s sadness and is determined to use<br />
her time with Santa to make her mom happy again. Emily heard her mom say that all she wanted<br />
for Christmas was a compliment from a man, so that’s what she tells Santa. Ironically, Santa, is<br />
struggling song writer Benjamin, who might give Nancy just what she wants for Christmas. Mrs.<br />
Christmas and her nemesis Bah-Humbug try to influence things. 96 min.<br />
7. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH<br />
8. KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL<br />
9. THE PIRATES WHO DON’T DO ANYTHING:<br />
A VEGGIETALES MOVIE<br />
10. NIM’S ISLAND<br />
11. SPEED RACER<br />
12. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES<br />
15<br />
13. COLLEGE ROAD TRIP<br />
14. THE GAME PLAN<br />
15. NANCY DREW<br />
<strong>Video</strong> <strong>Views</strong><br />
December 2008