Coming Soon to DVD: Step Brothers.

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 95 minutes

Genre: Comedy

DVD Release Date: December 2, 2008

When this movie was first released in theaters, there were a bunch of television commercials that seemed to be played tirelessly on every network I watched. When I saw the first round of commercials, I thought the movie sounded really stupid and there was no way I’d see it. Then I saw the commercial where the homemade bunk beds collapsed.

Step Brothers is the story of two guys who just never grew up and never left home. When their single parents fall for each other and get married, Brennan(Will Ferrell) and his mother move in with Dale(John C. Reilly) and his father. Problem is, Brennan and Dale don’t get along. So will the new family live happily ever after or will the whole marriage crash and burn?

Sure, the plot of this movie is stupid. But they take it and make it into something hilarious. This is one of the movies where most of the best parts are in the trailer; however, the scenes in the actual movie are longer (and funnier) than what’s in the trailer. I still cracked up at the bunk bed scene and the scene where Brennan is burying Dale alive even though I saw then countless times on the commercial. One scene I could not stop cracking up at was when the brother and his family were singing “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” That was amazing.

I really think you can relate to this humor if you have siblings or even…wait for it…step-siblings who you didn’t always get along with! Overall, I thought this movie was really funny. If you don’t immature humor and a little idiocy (or find it hilarious), then you should hit save on this movie.

Netflix Page for Step Brothers.

TV on DVD: Stella Season 1.

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 105 minutes

Genre: TV, Comedy

Number of Discs: 2

Unfortunately I never saw this show while it was on Comedy Central – good thing Netflix exists! One of my friends had introduced me to the show when we watched a couple episodes together, and I was hooked.

Stella is a television show about three guys who share an apartment, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain. They go on crazy adventures like starting their own coffee shop, trying to become the president of the residents’ board, and making their apartment floor into a field for crops.

Now this premise may not sound funny, but this show is hilarious. If you’ve seen these guys on the VH1 “I Love the __s” shows, and you think they're funny on that, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this show. The humor on this show arises from the goofy and just plain ridiculous things that they do. I would say the comedy is kind of dumb humor that has intelligence behind it. Don’t fully expect to understand a reason for every scene is in the show. The randomness is part of why the show is so funny.

I laugh my ass off when I watch this show. One of my favorite episodes is number 3: Office Party. This show has some great guest stars in it. This one features Paul Rudd, Sam Rockwell, and Joe Lo Truglio(the guy in Superbad who hits Seth with his car). In this episode Michael, Michael, and David attend an office party when they sucker one of the girls from across the hall into taking them. While there, they are humiliated by the office jerks(Rudd and Truglio). In order to get back at him, the guys develop a plan using fake mustaches and kicking ass at the company picnic. Make sure you don’t watch this in public because you will laugh out loud…a lot. You’ll wish your company picnics were this exciting…on second thought, maybe not.

The DVD has special features including The History of Stella, A 40-minute Comedy Central Special, commentary, deleted scenes, and bloopers.

Sadly this show was cancelled after the first due to lack of viewers (as some of the best shows are). Before this show, there was Stella Shorts. The DVDs aren’t available for purchase anymore(to my knowledge), but you can find a ton of videos on YouTube if you search "Stella Shorts".

Netflix Page for Stella:Season 1.

The Orpanage

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 105 minutes

Genre: Foreign, Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Suspense

Now I’m not the biggest fan of scary movies. I usually like something with a little more substance to it. The Orphanage, however, has both a good plot and the ability to freak you out.

Laura purchases the old orphanage where she spent the early years of her childhood in hope to make it into a home for disabled children. Shortly after they move into their new home, Laura’s son Simón begins to playing with his new imaginary friends. At a welcoming party, Simón suddenly vanishes. As Laura tries to get her son back, a whole new mystery about her new home unravels. Produced by Guillermo del Toro (producer, writer, and director of Pan’s Labyrinth).

This movie will leave you on the edge of your seat, it will creep you out, it will give you chills. This movie wasn’t so much scary as it is creepy for me (although there where some parts where I couldn’t look because I was too terrified to see what was going to happen). This movie uses some great techniques to evoke a response from the audience. There were parts of the film where I was cringing because I was terrified to see what was coming next.

One of the reasons for that was the suspenseful music. I think music is key in thrillers and this one definitely nailed it. The acting in this film was great; Belén Rueda (who plays Laura) was perfect for the role. The cinematography also played a huge role in the creep out factor. Even just the way the light falls into the room added to the overall eerie feeling.

The best thing about this movie was plot! It’s great to see a suspense movie made these days that had a real plot and wasn’t all about gore and unrealistic special effects. You should definitely add this to your queue if you’re looking to be creeped out but still want to enjoy a good story or if you’re a fan of old suspense films.

Neflix Page for The Orphange
This movie is also available on Watch Instantly.

The Bank Job.

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 110 minutes

Genre: Crime, Thriller

When it comes to films with Jason Statham as the lead, I think of pure action and very little plot. So when I went to watch this film I though that’s what this film would be like. However, this film succeeds with a clever plot and enough excitement to satisfy.

This film is based on the true story of Baker Street bank robbery that occurred in London in 1971. Other than the basic story line, the rest is fictionalized. Terry Leather(Jason Statham), a common criminal, is recruited by his old friend Martine. Terry recruits some old friends to help and they plan to dig a tunnel into the vault of a bank and rob the safe deposit boxes. Unbeknownst to Terry, Martine has been recruited by the government(who does not want any record of being involved in the robbery) in secret in order to recover some pictures of the royals in compromising positions taken by black power activist Michael X. Can they pull off the robbery without being caught?

I wasn’t sure what to expect since it hadn’t been too hyped. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The plot takes unexpected twists and turns which will keep your attention. Make sure you pay attention the entire time or you’ll miss details that will come up later in the film. There are some scenes that exhibit some extreme um, badassery? I don’t want to give anything away, but in one scene that sticks out in my mind there’s beating that takes place; that was definitely one of my favourite scene. On a different note, the 70s setting seemed really realistic and I have to say, I loved some of the clothing in the film.

One negative about this movie was the amount of characters in the film. In one of the special features, they mentioned there were over 70 speaking roles. It’s easy to forget who the characters are if you aren’t paying attention through the entire film.

I’d say if you want to see a good crime thriller, this movie is a good choice to add to your queue. However, if you’re looking for straight up action through the entire movie, you might want to pass on this one.

Netflix Page for The Bank Job