Movie Review: Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day - A Warner Bros. Release

http://www.valentinesdaymovie.com/

Release Date: February 12th, 2010

Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity.

Running time: 105 minutes

Garry Marshall (dir.)

Katherine Fugate (screenwriter)

John Debney (music)

Jessica Alba as Morley Clarkson

Kathy Bates as Susan

Jessica Biel as Kara Monahan

Bradley Cooper as Holden

Eric Dane as Sean Jackson

Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Harrison Copeland

Hector Elizondo as Edgar

Jamie Foxx as Kelvin Moore

Jennifer Garner as Julia Fitzpatrick

Topher Grace as Jason

Anne Hathaway as Liz

Carter Jenkins as Alex

Ashton Kutcher as Reed Bennett

Queen Latifah as Paula Thomas

Taylor Lautner as Willy

George Lopez as Alphonso

Shirley MacLaine as Estelle

Emma Roberts as Grace

Julia Roberts as Captain Kate Hazeltine

Bryce Robinson as Edison

Taylor Swift as Felicia

JENNIFER GARNER as Julia Fitzpatrick and ASHTON KUTCHER as Reed Bennett in New Line Cinema’s romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Photo by Ron Batzdorff

© 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Our reviews below:

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Valentine’s Day Review By John C.

♥3/4 (1.75 out of 4)

Last year, I was just not that into He’s Just That Into You. A big budget romantic-comedy starring everyone and their dog, with the kitchen sink thrown in for good luck. Valentine’s Day is the latest of these Love, Actually wannabe’s, and for me it was only marginally better than HJNTIY. There were a few things I liked about Valentine's Day, 3/4 of a heart (star) worth to be exact, but there were also things that I just hated.

Admittedly, there were some sweet moments in this film, but there were also moments that had me cringing more than an old lady at The Hangover. In particular the scenes at an elementary school with a kid who wears his shirt over his face and gleefully tells the teacher about the Valentine’s day massacre. This was not cute. It was just creepy.

The film becomes dreadful every time Jessica Biel is on screen. Her character is obnoxious and annoying, and her line about having a “close” relationship with her Blackberry is just creepy and evokes an unpleasant mental image. The scenes at her anti-Valentine’s party are just terrible.

Ashton Kutcher and George Lopez are by far the best parts, and the only characters I actually cared about. Pretty much everyone else is kinda shallow, and at least three of the way too many story lines should have been removed completely.

The contrived story with Emma Roberts’ character trying to lose her virginity is just dumb and out of place. The overly precocious kid trying to get flowers delivered to his secret Valentine is only mildly sweet and clearly rehashing Love, Actually.

Valentine’s Day had more than enough scenes that should have been deleted, and was too long by about a half-an-hour. Despite a few genuinely good moments, (Kutcher and Lopez, a nice moment between Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts, etc.), it ultimately just ended up feeling like a box of preselected chocolates. You always know what you’re gonna get. And you really just don’t want half of them.

Valentine’s Day is technically a better movie than something like He’s Just Not That Into You or, say, the recent I Hate Valentine’s Day, but what makes this film fail are the too many story lines, formulaic plot and hefty running time.

I’ve seen a lot of rom-com’s and the problem is, after you see one that’s average, the next average one, regardless if it actually is, just seems worse. Valentine's Day is just too syrupy to have any substance or emotional depth.

I wanted to like this film. Love, Actually. Though it just feels like I could Say Anything about this picture and audiences will still go out in swarms to see it. There are worse romantic-comedies than this one, but there are also ones that are far better. And those are the ones you should see.

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Valentine’s Day Review By Erin V.

♥♥1/2 (out of four)

There is something like 10 couples followed in this movie. For me, this was confusing namewise. Simply put, until I checked the billing block for the names, I didn’t know what the majority of the characters names were. It actually shocked me to see that Topher Grace’s character was called Jason, or Anne Hathaway’s called Liz. You see, during the movie to keep track of this particular couple, I made an odd mental note that Agent 99 (Hathaway in Get Smart) was with Eddie Brock (Grace in Spiderman 3). It happened like this for most of the cast in the film, since I could never really catch what they were actually called.

Aside from that, I actually liked the movie more than I had expected to. It’s not really going to have much of a run past this week, but I guess it really is meant for Valentine’s Day anyway. When I think back to a film like He’s Just Not That Into You, from last year, I can truthfully say that this is way better. I found HJNTIY to be extremely boring and was just waiting for it to be over, and while this one felt slightly long, it didn’t really feel boring like that. There were just too many characters in it. I think one teenage couple (the Taylor’s) would have been enough, and the thing with the kids should have been more in passing (e.g., the scene on the soccer field was unneeded).

I did like some of the characters better than others, such as Julia Robert’s character, and surprisingly, Ashton Kutcher’s character, since he’s not really one of my favorite actors. On the other hand, the whole thing with Jessica Biel’s character felt totally pointless to me, a feeling accentuated by the over 10 minutes it took for a real piñata to be smashed in the theatre before the film. Marketing plans should be something simple that takes under 2 minutes so that the movie can get started close to on time, and involves more than just 6 people smashing something. Like a random draw from all ticket holders that they often do. It’s not as hard to clean up, and it’s overall just easier for everyone.

If you’re looking for a date movie this weekend, this is certainly not a bad choice I don’t think. If you want to see it, this would be the time, since it is Valentine’s Day. Either that, or wait for next year on the DVD.

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Valentine’s Day Review By Nicole

♥♥1/2 (out of 4)

Valentine’s Day is an entertaining romantic comedy about one day in the lives of several different couples in a Los Angeles neighbourhood. The different couples span different ages. An older couple recounts over 50 years of marriage, while their “lovesick” grandson tries to get the perfect gift for his “Valentine”. A young florist, who is recently engaged, discusses what Valentines means to him with various customers, and with his friend, a truck driver from Mexico. (His story was one of my favorites). A soldier returns home for one day, to visit a very special person in her life. These are just some of the many stories told in this movie.

The stories are all loosely connected through the florist shop, through each other, or are part of a news interview on love. With so many different story lines, this movie is a bit confusing, and is a bit long at just over two hours. However, this one is nice to see as a seasonal film, either as a date movie in theatres, or as a rental. With a decent cast, a light plot, and a fun score, this movie is worth seeing for Valentine’s Day.

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Valentine’s Day DVD Review By Maureen

♥♥1/2 (out of 4)

Everybody loves a good love story. But what about several love stories all rolled up into one movie? Valentines Day goes through the love stories of various young couples, a senior couple, highschoolers, married couples, cheaters, unmarried couples, a gay couple and a elementary school crush.

While some of the love stories are sweet, others are shallow and annoying. There are so many different story lines going on at the same time, it gets tiring keeping track of who is who. What saves Valentine’s Day from being a very ordinary rom-com are all the talented, well known actors who add life and energy to this movie.

Ashton Kutcher plays a florist whose floral deliveries serve as a link between each of the stories. Reed Bennett (Kutcher) is the sweetest character in the whole movie. Also really likable is his business partner, Alphonso, played wonderfully by George Lopez.

There are also funny cameos by Queen Latifah and Shirley MacLaine. There are a lot of funny moments in Valentine’s Day. Watch for the restaurant scene with Jennifer Garner’s character pretending to be a waitress. There are also some scenes that fall flat. I found Jessica Biel’s character, Kara, to be particularly annoying with the whole Valentine’s Day is awful storyline.

Overall, this is what it is, a movie about Valentine’s Day. If a lighthearted romantic-comedy is what will make your Valentine’s Day, then this is the movie for you. Happy Valentine’s Day.

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Valentine’s Day DVD Review By Tony

♥♥1/2 (out of 4)

Valentines Day is a romantic comedy dealing with the lives of numerous characters, in and out of relationships, over the course of one Valentine’s day. They range from a ten year old’s schoolboy crush, through two teenage couples, numerous partners in their 20s-40s, to the 10 year old’s grandparents. To keep it simple, I will use the names of the actors rather than their characters.

As the film opens we meet several couples waking up together, some of whom will not make it through the day–Ashton Kutcher+Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner+Patrick Dempsey, Anne Hathaway+Topher Grace. Kutcher is a sweet florist while Alba is into her career. Kutcher’s old friend Garner is a sweet schoolteacher, finding out during the day that heart surgeon Dempsey has a wife and kids. Grace discovers that Hathaway’s life is constantly being interrupted by moonlighting on her 1-900 phone line. You can guess who ends up with whom.

As for the teenagers, Emma Roberts+Carter Jenkins are forgettable, while the brief cameos of the “Taylors” (Swift+Lautner) are surprisingly funny examples of celebrity self-parody.

The older couple (Shirley MacLaine+Hector Elizondo) is touching, particularly at the end as they make out in front of an outdoor night time screening of a snogging scene featuring MacLaine half a century earlier.

A number of apparently unattached characters appear throughout the film. Jamie Foxx is a sportscaster assigned reluctantly by his boss Kathy Bates to do romantic streeters all day. Eric Dane is a quarterback agonizing over whether to become a free agent. His publicist Jessica Biel, easily the most obnoxious element in the film, tries her best to trash the day with a heart piñata at her annual I Hate Valentine’s Day party in an Indian restaurant. I suppose her character was meant to serve as a foil, but leaving it out altogether would have been a real improvement. Her boss Queen Latifah has some amusing cameos. Kutcher’s driver George Lopez is an older family man, full of sage advice for his younger boss. Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts are seatmates on a plane, their relationships only revealed at the very end.

Director Garry Marshall is an old hand at this type of film, and manages to keep all the plotlines going along parallel and intersecting lines. As expected, it is not uniformly good, and with too many characters and at just over two hours could have done with some trimming, but it hits more than it misses. Compared to other recent films, I enjoyed it much more than He’s Just Not That Into You (unlikeable, unbelievable & much too long) but not quite as much as Couples Retreat (tighter script & good cast).

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BRADLEY COOPER as Holden and JULIA ROBERTS as Captain Kate Hazeltine in New Line Cinema’s romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Ron Batzdorff

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Consensus: While it seems to serve it’s purpose for a rom-com for Valentine’s Day, this film just has too many characters to really work. With a tighter script and shorter cast list, this could have gone somewhere better. Made for this particular week though, if you’re planning on seeing it, now’s the time. ♥♥1/3 (Out of 4)

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(L-r) ERIC DANE as Sean Jackson and GEORGE LOPEZ as Alphonso in New Line Cinema’s romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Ron Batzdorff

Trailer Watch: Toy Story 3

Apple Trailers now has the brand new trailer for Toy Story 3. The very nicely edited trailer gives you a sense for what to expect from the June 18th released sequel.

I’m a huge Pixar fan, and the studio’s been 10-for-10, but I’m still not quite sold on the idea of a TS3. I’m sure it will be good, but I’ve not been blown away by it yet. The scene in the trailer where they are on an internet chat room, just looks not up to the standards of the genius of other Pixar films.

It just feels like this will be tailor-made to make money from a new generation of fans. It does look really good, but just not up to the high standards of Pixar’s previous films. Though the animation is beautiful.

This is the studio’s film directly following their Best Picture nominated masterpiece Up. My anticipation for the film is high, but I don’t have the same type of obsession over it like I’ve had in anticipation for Pixar’s other films.

-John C.

DVD Review: A Serious Man

A Serious Man - An Alliance Films Release

http://www.focusfeatures.com/focusfeatures/film/a_serious_man/

DVD Release Date: February 9th, 2010

Rated 14A for coarse language, violence, and a sexually suggestive scene.

Running time: 106 minutes

Joel and Ethan Coen (dir.)

Joel and Ethan Coen (writer)

Carter Burwell (music)

Richard Kind as Uncle Arthur

Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnik

Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman

Sari Lennick as Judith Gopnik

Aaron Wolff as Danny Gopnik

Jessica McManus as Sarah Gopnik

Our reviews below:

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A Serious Man DVD Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

Larry Gopnik is stuck in the painful monotony of bad luck, all the while just trying hard to be a serious man. His brother won’t move off his couch, his wife is seeing someone else, (the annoyingly laid-back Sy Abelman), his daughter wants money for a nose job, and his son keeps needing him to adjust the TV antenna, because F Troop’s fuzzy.

He keeps asking the age-old question of why me? But in true Coen Brother’s fashion, strange things continue to happen. He consults the help of several rabbi’s, each one giving him seemingly innocuous, but priceless advice. Perhaps Larry just needs to realise that, in the words of the second Rabbi, God doesn’t owe us the answers.

A Serious Man is brilliantly comedic, and darkly brilliant. Both overtly religious and profoundly poetic, it’s rare to see a film of such subject matter even get a semi-mainstream release. Some may find the last scene to be annoying or confusing, but I thought it was brilliant genius. Very deserving of its Best Picture nomination - A Serious Man is a serious masterpiece.

The DVD includes three featurettes, on the making of the film, how they got the look of 1967 Minneapolis, and a featurette on the Hebrew and Yiddish languages.

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A Serious Man DVD Review By Erin V.

**** (out of four)

In A Serious Man, Larry is trying to live as a serious man, get tenure at his job as a professor at the university, keep his family together, and prepare his son for his Bar Mitzvah. Unfortunately, he finds out that his wife is leaving him for Sy Ableman, of all people, who truly is ‘a serious man’.

This is one of the best films of last year, a fact that was recognized by the Academy earlier this month with a well deserved Best Picture nomination. The acting is all solid, the music fits really well, and the story is executed with classic Coen style. I would definitely recommend you checking this one out. It’s a dark comedy, and not everyone will enjoy it as much as I did, but it is well worth at least checking out for yourself.

As an added bonus, the disc also includes three extras: ‘Becoming Serious’ - a look at the creative vision behind the film, ‘Creating 1967’ - a look at the Minneapolis neighbourhoods and set pieces for the film, and ‘Hebrew and Yiddish for Goys’ - a look at the languages.

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A Serious Man DVD Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

The Coen Brothers have returned with this quirky and funny comedy. From the opening scene, we can tell that the Gopnik family is cursed. The film now flashes forward to 1967, when physics professor Larry Gopnik struggles with his crazy life. Larry’s wife is cheating on him. His brother is mooching off the family. Larry’s son is always interrupting him to complain about the TV reception. To top it all off, someone is trying to jeopardize Larry’s career. So Larry consults three different rabbis, to try to make sense of his life. With a hilarious story, great writing, and lots of quirky characters, it’s no wonder this comedy has been nominated for Best Picture.

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A Serious Man DVD Review By Maureen

**** (out of 4)

A Serious Man is a seriously smart and funny movie. The story revolves around Physics teacher Larry Gopnik (Michael Stulbarg), his cheating wife, their two teenage kids, and his unemployed brother. All while his marriage is falling apart, Larry tried to do the right things, be a serious man on his journey to try and sort things out for himself.

What works for A Serious Man is the low key, quirky humour. Each of the characters are so well written and really fun to watch. The acting is top notch. A Serious Man was fun to watch in the theatre but is the kind of movie that you can watch more than once and always get more out of it each time. It’s not surprising A Serious Man is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Coen brother fans especially will want to add this one to their collection.

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A Serious Man DVD Review By Tony

**** (out of 4)

A Serious Man is the fictional story of a Jewish physics professor living in suburban Minnesota in the late 1960s, which happens to be the family background of the Coen brothers, making this their most personal film. Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlberg) is having a terrible time, presumably due to the dybbuk’s curse on his ancestors shown in a Yiddish language prologue. He can’t get rid of the unemployed brother living in his house, while his wife is leaving him, and his kids have their own problems. His tenure is threatened by anonymous letters, and for a passing grade a Korean student has given him the impossible choice of accepting a bribe or being fired for accepting it. Finally, as he awaits a possible life threatening diagnosis, he wonders whether he can ever be a mensch, i.e. a serious man.

With a brilliant script, excellent mainly Jewish cast and every detail of 1960s suburbia lovingly reproduced, A Serious Man is full of wit and a joy to watch, another triumph from its quirky writer/directors.

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Consensus: Though not for everyone, A Serious Man is another great dark-comedy from the Coen brothers. Very deserving of its Oscar nomination for Best Picture. **** (Out of 4)

The Time Traveler's Wife/The Notebook 2-pack

The Time Travellers Wife, comes on DVD today. While I would consider that film itself more of a rental, it is worth buying as a 2-pack with The Notebook, if you don’t already own it.

Both films have Rachel McAdams in them, and The Notebook is probably the most well received (at least critically) of the Nicholas Spark’s book adaptations. The newest one being Dear John, which while good has a very different feel to it.

From 2004, The Notebook is a very classic romance. It stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as the young couple, and James Garner and Gena Rowlands as them in their later years. As Noah reads to Allie the story of their life, he helps her to be able to remember what she keeps on forgetting - their love. It is a sad film in many ways, particularly to those who know Alziemer’s, but it is nonetheless, very, very good. Watching a romance blossom in the 1940’s is always fun on screen.

Special Features for the two films include:

Time Traveler’s Wife: Love Beyond Words

The Notebook: 12 deleted scenes with optional Director commentary, Director Nick Cassavetes Commentary, Novelist Nicholas Sparks Commentary, Rachel McAdams Screen Test... and more.

-Erin V.

DVD Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveller’s Wife - An Alliance Films’ Release

http://www.thetimetravelerswifemovie.com/dvd/index.html

DVD Release Date: February 9th, 2010

Rated PG for violence, nudity, and coarse language.

Running time: 108 minutes

Robert Schwentke (dir.)

Nick Cassavetes (dir.)

Bruce Joel Rubin (screenwriter)

Audrey Niffenegger (novel)

Mychael Danna (music)

Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire

Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble

Ron Livingston as Gomez

Our reviews below:

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By John C.

** (out of 4)

This is the story of Henry, a man with a rare genetic disorder that make’s him travel time. Like with other time travel premises, it’s fascinating stuff to analyze. But more so, this is a romance about how hard it would be if you were the time traveler’s wife.

The premise, though mildly confuzzling, is intriguing, but I don’t think the execution fully utilizes it. I only read about 80 pages of the intimidatingly long book, and the movie version seemed to be different and, while still kinda creepy, less controversy inducing.

In the beginning it seems like when Henry shows up naked somewhere, no sooner than he gets clothes on, he disappears. This had me wondering if perhaps certain cloths induce time traveling, and if that’s how he always stays grounded during intercourse.

I know they want to show us how hard it would be to live with a time traveler because they’re always disappearing, but I don’t think a montage was the best way to illustrate this. It just became laughable.

There’s never a moment where Henry painfully realises that some things he can not change. In a better version of a story like this things would start to get better once he realises that some things just have to happen. Instead the tone of the film is dreary romance rather than heartbreaking, magical wonder.

The acting is good, and the story gives you lots to think about and pick apart, but I found the film to kind of fall flat. Though it’s mildly worth checking out, it’s nowhere near as good as other romance or time travel films. I thought it was alright, but really nothing special.

The DVD includes a featurette on the film’s journey from page to screen, with the director, screenwriter and two leads. It is also available in a double-pack with the 2004 Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Notebook - A romantic film which I’d give at least a star more than this one.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Erin V.

**3/4 (out of four)

This was another Summer movie featuring time-travelling Eric Bana. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see him as an angry Romulan mad at Spock this time... Instead, he was running around, in love, turning up naked in various places as he ended up disappearing over and over again in one time and location, and then reappearing in the next.

Essentially, the story is about an artist named Clare, who first meets her future husband as a 6 year old, when he comes from the future to visit her. By the time they actually meet as adults, she has fallen madly in love with him, and the story kind of plays off of the tension she feels when the man she loves keeps on randomly disappearing for days on end - right in front of her eyes. Also, he has to deal with the fact that he ends up knowing more about the future than he might have initially wanted to.

It is interesting enough to watch, and I suppose those who love a tragic romance will quite enjoy this film, or those who are really interested in anything that has to do with time travel. The thing is that the time travel is done more confusingly, and certainly not in as cool a way as a great film like Back to the Future. In order to recommend it, I would have to say rent it, or if you’re going to buy, get it in the two-pack with The Notebook.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Time Traveler’s Wife is an interesting, and slightly confusing story about a romance between an artist, and a man who can travel through time. The time traveler, Henry, can’t control when he will show up, and so inadvertently arrives through different times in his wife Claire’s life. When he time travels, he loses his clothes, and so he has learned to steal clothes from people’s homes. This is not as troublesome or disturbing as when Henry shows up (Naked of course) in front of 5 year old Clare, (though nothing sinister is intended here). His time travel has advantages though, as he can visit his late mother, who he lost in a car crash as a child. But Henry does not have the ability to change the past or future, which disturbs him as he helplessly watches his life’s fate.

While an interesting premise, this bleak tale is a little long at 1 hour and 48 minutes. This DVD also comes with The Notebook, which also stars Rachel McAdams, and is a far better movie.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

The concept of time travel is an interesting one. What if one partner knows in advance how their romantic relationship is going to unfold? In The Time Traveler’s Wife, Henry (Eric Bana) is a time traveler. He disappears and reappears without warning, in the past, present and future. He meets his future wife, Clare (Rachel McAdams) when she is a little girl. Their relationship and love is destiny.

While the storyline had potential, I found the story confusing at times and found the fact that he reappears naked a little weird especially when meeting Clare as a child.

Overall, this is an okay love story, but not amazing. Check this one out if you are a fan of the lead actors or find the concept of time travel fascinating. A better romantic movie starring Rachel McAdams is The Notebook.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Tony

*** (out of 4)

The Time Traveler’s Wife is an unusual romance between Henry (Eric Bana) and Clare (Rachel McAdams). Eric has the ability to go forward and back in time to different parts of his life, though he can not control when it happens. His body suddenly disappears, his clothes falling to the ground, and reappears at another time and place, often followed by a desperate attempt to find clothes, even if it means breaking into a place to steal them. Unlike many other time travel stories, he can even meet older or younger versions of himself, though visits to the past can not change his destiny. Having first met Henry when she was a child, Clare has always loved him and accepted his sometimes long absences at inconvenient times.

Time travel films are really tricky to pull off. The Back to the Future trilogy is the most successful, with every loose end eventually tied up, and Groundhog Day in its own way is also very satisfying. Despite some confusion at times, The Time Traveler’s Wife manages this quite well, and the story is just sweet enough to appeal to a wide audience.

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Consensus: The Time Traveler's Wife, though mildly worth checking out, is not as good as other romance or time travel films. **1/2 (Out of 4)

DVD Review: I Hate Valentine’s Day

I Hate Valentine’s Day - An E1 Films’ Release

http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/i-hate-valentines-day

DVD Release Date: February 9th, 2010

Rated PG

Running time: 89 minutes

Nia Vardalos (dir.)

Nia Vardalos (writer)

Keith Power (music)

Nia Vardalos as Genevieve Gernier

John Corbett as Greg Gatlin

Stephen Guarino as Bill

Amir Arison as Bob

Our reviews below:

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I Hate Valentine’s Day DVD Review By John C.

**1/4 (out of 4)

In I Hate Valentine’s Day, Nia Vardalos plays a flower shop owner who believes that no relationship should last for more than five dates. It’s a silly premise, and makes for a fairly average and predictable picture with that distinct made-for-TV feel.

Though nowhere near as good as the hilarious My Big Fat Greek Wedding or the charming My Life in Ruins, I Hate Valentine’s Day is still worth a rental for die hard fans of Nia Vardalos.

The film hits its lowest moment after a slow-mo run through the street by Vardalos, that ends with her accidentally standing on a homeless man. Other than that, I thought it was alright.

The DVD includes no bonus features.

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I Hate Valentine’s Day DVD Review By Erin V.

**1/4 (out of four)

I Hate Valentine’s Day is quite an average rom-com. It is about a woman called Genevieve (Vardalos), who runs a flower gift shop. Being a romantic at heart, she loves to sell roses for the busiest time for a shop owner like her - Valentine’s Day. But, while being a romantic, in her own love life, she will never give a guy more than five dates before breaking it off with him. It is this stupid rule that becomes the premise for the movie.

It is definitely not some of Vardalos’ best work - I actually liked My Life in Ruins better, and definitely My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which I think is agreed to be her best.

Still, if watching a bunch of rom-coms is your idea of a good time around Valentine’s Day, I think this one would be worth a rental, as it is at least enjoyable enough for an hour and a half.

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I Hate Valentine’s Day DVD Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of 4)

Nia Vardalos and John Corbett from My Big Fat Greek Wedding return in this new romantic-comedy. Nia Vardalos plays Genevieve, a florist who has a strict “five dates than it’s over” policy, to avoid any possibility of commitment or heart-break. But when she meets Greg (John Corbett), her commitment to her rule now poses a dilemma.

I Hate Valentine’s Day is nowhere near as good as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but is enjoyable enough to rent.

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I Hate Valentine’s Day DVD Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

Nia Vardalos and John Corbett made a good on-screen couple in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I Hate Valentine’s Day tries to capitalize on their on-screen chemistry. It works to a degree, but not enough to make this movie more than an average romantic-comedy.

Nia Vardalos plays Genevieve, a florist who has a strict five dates only rule to pre-empt any broken hearts. her rule gets challenged when she meets Greg (John Corbett), a cute restaurant owner, The storyline goes from one Valentine’s Day to the next one a year later. The ending is fairly predictable.

There are some funny moments in I Hate Valentines Day, mostly thanks to a strong cast. This one is light fun and certainly worth at least a rental especially if you are a Nia Vardalos fan.

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I Hate Valentine’s Day DVD Review By Tony

** (out of 4)

In the latest attempt to repeat the success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, now directed as well as written by Nia Vardalos, she plays Genevieve, a Brooklyn florist with a strict five date policy, just enough to keep things exciting without the commitment that for her has inevitably led to disappointment. Just as in her first feature, John Corbett plays the man (Greg) who comes into her life and predictably attempts to break the five date limit.

Lacking the ethnic humour of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, or the scenery of the lesser Vardalos vehicle My Life in Ruins, I Hate Valentine’s Day has little more going for it than the premise of a life based on five dates, which I didn’t believe for a minute. Most of the script and supporting cast are just not that funny. For example, what passes for ethnic tension is the fact that Greg is a “southern gentleman” giving up his law practice to open a tapas bar called “Get on Tapas” (which isn’t even funny for anyone else in the cast). With the funniest lines given to Genevieve’s gay florist partners (Stephen Guarino & Amir Arison), and an excruciating key scene in a Karaoke bar with an obnoxious MC (Ian Gomez, real husband of Nia Vardalos), I Hate Valentine’s Day is only worth seeing if someone else wants to see it and you are along for the ride.

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Consensus: An alright, though average romantic-comedy, that is nowhere near as good as My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Worth a rental for die hard fans of Nia Vardalos. **1/4 (Out of 4)

Universal Soldier: Regeneration on DVD Today

Today, E1 Films is releasing the newest installment in the Universal Soldier series on DVD. Launched in 1992 by Roland Emmerich, (perhaps his answer to Cameron’s Terminator?), the film was followed by a theatrical sequel in 1999. It was also followed by two made-for-TV sequels, which starred a different cast. This is the fifth in the series, and stars the films original two actors, Jean Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.

The series gained a cult following, and was enjoyed by fans of sci-fi and action films. Universal Soldier: Regeneration is worth checking out if you are familiar with the series, and is sure to be enjoyed by die hard fans.

The DVD includes audio commentary with director John Hyams and Dolph Lundgren. It also includes a behind the scenes featurette.

-John C.

Paris, Not France on DVD Today

Today, Universal Home Entertainment is releasing Adria Petty’s documentary about Paris Hilton and her place in pop culture, on DVD. Paris, Not France has been screened at certain festivals, and was shown on MTV this past summer.

An interesting watch for those interested in the life of the infamous heiress. It runs for 63-minutes, and is packaged in a suitably Hilton-esque pink case.

-John C.

Thoughts on Close Encounters of the Third Kind at The Great Digital Film Festival in Toronto

Today at the Scotiabank Theatre, as part of The Great Digital Film Festival, they played an HD print of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The festival runs until Thursday, so if you haven’t caught a film already, you’ve still got time. Single tickets are only $5, so it’s an offer you can’t refuse.

Below are our thoughts on the special screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, held Monday, February 8th at 2:00 PM.

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When you think of classic films to re-visit on the big screen, something from Steven Spielberg is sure to cross your mind. And his classic 1977 science-fiction epic, Close Encounters of The Third Kind, with the spectacular special effects and beautiful John Williams score, made for an amazing theatre experience.

Though perhaps not quite as beloved as E.T., Close Encounters is a downright great movie that still holds up just as well today.

-John C.

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind is one of those films that holds up on -and off - the big screen 30-odd years later. It is far lower-key than perhaps a movie with the same premise would have been today, playing out more as a mystery as to what is happening than anything else. But it manages a good level of suspense throughout, and that’s what works.

But, I really enjoyed the quiet way that this film was made. I noticed a lot of cool editing techniques that aren’t seen as much today it seems. The acting is good, and a lot of the scenes are really fun, such as when Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) is insistent to build a huge sculpture in his house...

In particular about the film, I always liked the premise of communicating through music like they do in the film. It’s a neat idea, and universal too. This is a great film that hopefully a new generation will be interested in seeing. It was recognized in several Oscars categories, including a win for Cinematography and Special Achievement award for Sound Editing, and additional noms for Actress, Art Direction, Director, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Score, and Sound.

-Erin V.

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I don't know why, but this is the first time I had seen this classic all the way through. That being said, I was blown away by this low-key classic. As a musician, I absolutely loved how the aliens communicated to people through music. Close Encounters of the Third Kind still holds up today. The aliens, while mysterious, are never creepy, and like in E.T., are oddly believable, as are the people in this film. Truly one of Spielberg's best.

-Nicole

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I can’t believe I waited this long to check out this movie. Sure, I could have rented it but seeing it on the big screen was a real treat. Classic movies like this one really do work better in theatres. It’s great to see the work of Steven Spielberg and John Williams the way they were intended to be seen. Even though Close Encounters of the Third Kind is from 1977 and the technology in the movie looks a little dated, it still holds up as one of the classics.

-Maureen

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I first saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind about 25 years ago, but I may have slept through it because I hardly remembered how good it was. It still seems fresh despite the many changes in technology since 1977, which can be summarized as a wholesale shift from analog to digital. Now itself in a digital format, the film looks really good on the big screen.

-Tony

Thoughts on The Wizard of Oz at The Great Digital Film Festival in Toronto

Today at the Scotiabank Theatre, as part of The Great Digital Film Festival, they played an HD print of The Wizard of Oz. All in all, The Great Digital Film Festival is a great event, bringing back older movies for new generations. It runs until Thursday, February 11th.

Below are our thoughts on the special screening of The Wizard of Oz, held Sunday, February 7th at 1:00 PM.

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We’ve all seen The Wizard of Oz numerous times, but it’s great to see it on the big screen, with an appreciative audience. It was also nice to see some younger audience members there, who perhaps aren’t as familier with the 1939 classic.

I noticed little details that I perhaps hadn’t noticed on TV. Because I’ve seen it so many times, I was able to just sit back and admire the masterful craft that went into the film. Though 70 years old, it still holds up today.

-John C.

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As part of the Great Digital Film Festival at the ScotiaBank Toronto this week (Feb. 5th - 11th), we went to see The Wizard of Oz today.

I think almost everyone knows and loves the classic ‘39 film. Getting to see it on the big screen was something really special. It is nice to see films that hold up over 70 years later. To make a film that classic would be any filmmakers dream.

What makes The Wizard of Oz such a classic in most books is the beautiful sets (far more noticeable all of the work put into them, on the big screen), the classic acting, and the story that young and old can relate to. It’s a great film that hopefully years from now, it will still get re-released every now and again for more to enjoy in the manor it was first meant to be - in the theatre.

The Digital Film Festival is a great idea, and I hope to see more films there, and a repeat of the festival in the future.

-Erin V.

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There is nothing like the classics. I really enjoyed seeing The Wizard of Oz on the big screen. Although I have seen The Wizard of Oz numerous times before, seeing it in a theatre was really fun. This is one classic that never gets tiring, no matter how many times you have seen it. On the big screen, I noticed little details that I had missed on TV.

-Nicole

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Seeing The Wizard of Oz in a theatre on a big screen was like seeing it for the first time. It was wonderful. Details that I missed the on previous viewings really stood out this time. For example, the texture of the Scarecrow’s face and the detail in Munchkinland made me realize how much work went into this 1939 classic. It was a real treat re-visitnig this old favourite.

-Maureen

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About 25 years ago, I saw a clean new film print of The Wizard of Oz taken from the original Technicolor masters, which like the obsolescent Kodachrome, used color separation, preserved as 3 black and white prints, one for each primary color. Under ideal conditions at the Ontario Science Centre, it was brilliant. By comparison, the new digital version was a bit grainy, particularly in the first sepia reel. Just as for purists, a CD can never quite match a good analog recording, the digital version did not seem quite as good as the film I remembered, but I would have to see them side by side to be sure. At any rate, the digital version would be a lot cheaper to reproduce, and therefore more accessible. Even after dozens of viewings, going back to black and white TV, through tape, DVD and (not yet for me) BluRay, everyone should have a chance to see The Wizard of Oz as it was originally shown–in a theatre on a big screen. We happened to sit a bit closer than usual, which was not a problem since it is not a widescreen film, and had the advantage of allowing us to see details usually missed at home, such as the bird in the Oz background, perhaps a snipe.

-Tony