RT on DVD: The Simpsons, Stardust, and More!
Plus: An indie musical you'll love, Blade Runner redux.
This week the shelves are packed, and just in time for the holidays! Check out the long-awaited big-screen debut of Springfield's finest (The Simpsons Movie), Matthew Vaughn's fantastic tale of witches, romance, and flying pirates (Stardust), or, as we strongly advise, take a chance on one of the year's best cinematic gems (Once).
The Simpsons Movie
Tomatometer: 88%
It took eleven Simpsons scribes to bring the yellowest family in America to the big screen -- and a marketing campaign turning 7-Eleven stores into Kwik-E-Marts that can only be described as "inspired" -- but the payoff was huge. After 19 more-or-less stellar seasons (ok, quite a few were less but it got better, didn't it?) Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie made a fashionably late entrance into the movies, to the tune of over half a billion dollars and counting, with a feature-length adventure involving the destruction of Springfield, a pet pig, environmentalism, Albert Brooks, and Green Day.
Stardust
Tomatometer: 75%
Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' illustrated fairy tale captivated readers upon publication in 1997; a decade later, Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn enlisted the likes of Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Charlie Cox) in an English town called Wall bordered by a secret realm of magic, pirates and witches, the Certified Fresh Stardust dazzled critics with its heartfelt, if sprawling, tale of romance and adventure. Check out the DVD for behind-the-scenes commentary, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel.
Once
Tomatometer: 98%
John Carney's Irish Once is, quite simply, one of the best films of 2007. The micro-budgeted musical -- shot for an astounding $160,000 guerilla-style, on the streets of Dublin -- stars real-life artistic partners Glen Hansard (of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova, as a busker and an immigrant who meet and form an immediate musical bond. The Grammy-nominated soundtrack bears 13 hauntingly beautiful original songs, which alone are worth the price of admission. If you missed it in theaters -- and a lot of you did -- pick it up now on DVD.
Blade Runner: The Final Cut
Tomatometer: 96%
In 1982, Ridley Scott unleashed his stylishly noir sci-fi tale of replicants and blade runners onto the world, and geeks the world over were never the same. But whose vision did they see? After a 1992 Director's Cut that was ironically not Scott-approved, we now have Blade Runner: The Final Cut. At 93 percent, the original version already had overwhelming critical praise; at 96 percent, Scott's "final" vision, available this week, may be even closer to perfection.
Bring It On: In It To Win It
Tomatometer: N/A
The original Bring it On (2000) was a gem of a teen comedy about a privileged high school cheer captain (Kirsten Dunst) trawling the cutthroat waters of competitive cheerleading; the uninspired sequel, set on a college campus, provoked one to lament "it's already been broughten." Thankfully, a third installment (Bring it On: All or Nothing, starring Hayden Panetierre) revived the flagging franchise, leading us to hope, spirit fingers waving, that the feat could be repeated...in a third sequel! Bring it On: In It To Win It is that new hope -- a cheertastic take on Romeo and Juliet. Sigh.
Balls of Fury
Tomatometer: 25%
If you're like me, you love Comedy Central's Reno 911; maybe, then, you won't mind the underrated Balls of Fury, an Enter The Dragon-style spoof about the illicit ping-pong circuit starring Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, Maggie Q and James (Lo Pan!) Hong. Lo Pan!
Underdog
Tomatometer: 15%
Oh Jason Lee, what hath you wrought? You haven't had this bad a critical ravaging since Stealing Harvard!
The Simpsons Movie
Tomatometer: 88%It took eleven Simpsons scribes to bring the yellowest family in America to the big screen -- and a marketing campaign turning 7-Eleven stores into Kwik-E-Marts that can only be described as "inspired" -- but the payoff was huge. After 19 more-or-less stellar seasons (ok, quite a few were less but it got better, didn't it?) Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie made a fashionably late entrance into the movies, to the tune of over half a billion dollars and counting, with a feature-length adventure involving the destruction of Springfield, a pet pig, environmentalism, Albert Brooks, and Green Day.
Stardust
Tomatometer: 75%Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' illustrated fairy tale captivated readers upon publication in 1997; a decade later, Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn enlisted the likes of Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Charlie Cox) in an English town called Wall bordered by a secret realm of magic, pirates and witches, the Certified Fresh Stardust dazzled critics with its heartfelt, if sprawling, tale of romance and adventure. Check out the DVD for behind-the-scenes commentary, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel.
Once
Tomatometer: 98%John Carney's Irish Once is, quite simply, one of the best films of 2007. The micro-budgeted musical -- shot for an astounding $160,000 guerilla-style, on the streets of Dublin -- stars real-life artistic partners Glen Hansard (of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova, as a busker and an immigrant who meet and form an immediate musical bond. The Grammy-nominated soundtrack bears 13 hauntingly beautiful original songs, which alone are worth the price of admission. If you missed it in theaters -- and a lot of you did -- pick it up now on DVD.
Tomatometer: 96%In 1982, Ridley Scott unleashed his stylishly noir sci-fi tale of replicants and blade runners onto the world, and geeks the world over were never the same. But whose vision did they see? After a 1992 Director's Cut that was ironically not Scott-approved, we now have Blade Runner: The Final Cut. At 93 percent, the original version already had overwhelming critical praise; at 96 percent, Scott's "final" vision, available this week, may be even closer to perfection.
Tomatometer: N/AThe original Bring it On (2000) was a gem of a teen comedy about a privileged high school cheer captain (Kirsten Dunst) trawling the cutthroat waters of competitive cheerleading; the uninspired sequel, set on a college campus, provoked one to lament "it's already been broughten." Thankfully, a third installment (Bring it On: All or Nothing, starring Hayden Panetierre) revived the flagging franchise, leading us to hope, spirit fingers waving, that the feat could be repeated...in a third sequel! Bring it On: In It To Win It is that new hope -- a cheertastic take on Romeo and Juliet. Sigh.
Tomatometer: 25%If you're like me, you love Comedy Central's Reno 911; maybe, then, you won't mind the underrated Balls of Fury, an Enter The Dragon-style spoof about the illicit ping-pong circuit starring Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, Maggie Q and James (Lo Pan!) Hong. Lo Pan!
Tomatometer: 15%Oh Jason Lee, what hath you wrought? You haven't had this bad a critical ravaging since Stealing Harvard!
Related Items
(1-8 of 8 posts) | Reply
 on Dec 18 2007 01:39 AM say what you will, but i still felt after all the acolades and incredible legacy it had ridin on the line.. the simpsons movie was a dissapointment. it frankly was a just a good three part episode and it proves that they can't make great simpsons anymore, but hey at least it wasn't as bad as the show has become. now thats a nuclear meltdown disaster even homer isn't dumb enough to start off. overal it was a good movie, but this is the simpsons not some some crap like american dad or drawn together... this is one of the allltime great shows and it gave us an okay movie. and it proves, in the end that south park probably should, but won't :(, be the best animated adult oriented show ever. the simspons had it locked up but yearS of horrible seasons and this movie leaves springfield staring, from the #2 position, at Cartman's asss forever. now, lets see what family guy does, because i hope not, but the simpsons might slip to #3 eve. i don't think so but if someone doesn't kill that show, its whole legacy will go up in flames and be ruined far too greatly:(...... oh and i can't wait to buy "once", great movie! (Reply to this) |
 on Dec 18 2007 03:57 AM simpsons movie got 88% approval rating? hmm critics must have seen "marge vs. the monorail" and thought that was the movie. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 18 2007 06:13 AM good one lockdicer, i think in honesty we are, or at least should be curious how did this get such a hgh rating? if this got 88%, than marge v.s. the monorail should have gotten an oscar for best animated short... which is far more correct than this rating of freshness! this movie was certainlly of a 70% approval rating, even very 6os %, i would understand. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 18 2007 06:52 AM I don't know what you guys are talking about. I loved the movie. I think the last 8 seasons or so were terrible and haven't even watched the show on a consistent basis in the last 5 years or so. I was a little leery going into the movie but was pleasantly surprised. (Reply to this) |
 on Dec 18 2007 10:06 AM I enjoyed it too, Stardust is one of the years other best movies, I need to go pick them both up. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 18 2007 12:01 PM they forgot HALLOWEEN, which comes out today. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 18 2007 12:06 PM Already purchased Stardust. I expected it to be buried in the back of my local Best Buy rather than the traditional big display up front, which I assumed would be where I would see the Simpsons Movie instead. Shockingly, Stardust has its own display up front, and the Simpsons were nowhere to be found. Telling! (Reply to this) |
 on Dec 19 2007 10:06 AM In reply to this comment (#1370914) About omitting Halloween...to paraphrase Peter Gibbons, "I wouldn't say I *missed* it..." (Reply to this) |
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