Imperial Valley News

LEVERAGE: Season Two
(2009-2010)
* * (Grade C)
Created by John Rogers and Chris Downey
Starring Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge
Paramount//Not Rated//Drama//707 minutes
Available on: DVD
Timothy Hutton stars as Nathan Ford, leading a small band of vigilantes. It's tempting to compare the elaborate con at the heart of each "Leverage" episode to that of Britain's "Hustle," but the American heroes do not profit from their schemes. Each episode opens with an innocent person being victimized by a greedy individual. The wronged party persuades Nathan and his team of leveragers to take their case. Nathan identifies the wrongdoer's weakness and uses it to devise a means of bringing the miscreant down. In "The Three Days of the Hunter Job" the team provides a false scoop to a Nancy Grace-like journalist (Beth Broderick) whose inaccurate reporting has ruined many lives. Nathan is motivated by a tragedy from his past, but the other young team members: a hacker, an acrobat, a martial arts expert and a con game expert, risk jail and worse simply because they enjoy their work. 4-Disc DVD features: John Rogers set tour, Behind the boom featurette, The Creators of Leverage Q&A, "The Hand Job" spoof video, Andy Lange music featurette, Season 2 wrap party gag reel, commentaries on each episode, English language tracks, widescreen.

DEAR JOHN
(2010)
* * (C)
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom
Starring Richard Jenkins, Amanda Seyfried, Channing Tatum, Henry Thomas, D.J. Cotrona
Sony//Rated PG-13//Drama//109 minutes
Available on: DVD or Blu-Ray
The adaptation of yet another weepy Nicholas Sparks romance casts Channing Tatum as John Tyree, a U.S. Special Forces soldier on leave, when he falls hard for Savannah Curtis (Seyfried) in scenic Charleston, S.C.. She's passionate, sweet and adorable, he's loyal to a fault and off to serve in Iraq while Savannah languishes at home. Largely told through the pair's love letters, the film offers excellent supporting turns by Jenkins as John's socially inept father, and by Thomas who plays a single parent raising an autistic son. Determined to pluck our heart strings, "Dear John" aims squarely for the author's cry-hard fans. DVD or Blu-Ray features: Deleted and Alternate Scenes, Alternate Ending, Outtakes, A Conversation with Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried and Lasse Hallstrom, Transforming Charleston, Military in Movies: Dear John's Military Advisors, Mr. Tyree, The Mule, and Benny Dietz, The Story of Braeden Reed, English language tracks, widescreen. Exclusive Blu-Ray features: movieIQ™+sync and BD-Live for real-time info while watching the movie.

7 ADVENTURES OF SINBAD
(2010)
*1/2 (C-)
Directed by Ben Hayflick, Adam Silver
Starring Patrick Muldoon, Sarah Desage, Bo Svenson
Asylum//Not Rated//Fantasy//90 minutes
Available on: DVD
Another direct-to-video Asylum motion picture, "Sinbad" sports the tagline "The original Prince of Persia," and is timed for a concurrent release with the major motion picture bearing that title. Shot in just 13 days on a $500,000 budget, the film depicts an appealing array of giants that include: an octopus, a crab, a squid, a whale, flying prehistoric dinosaurs and a two creatures cribbed from "Lord of the Rings," a cyclops and a lava demon. The film goes awry when focusing on billionaire industrialist Adrian Sinbad (Muldoon), fleeing with a handful of others, after his oil tanker is attacked. They become marooned on a desert island where local warrior Loa (Desage) persuades them to prevent an impending apocalypse by undertaking a daring quest. DVD features: Making of featurette, deleted scenes, bloopers, trailer, English language tracks, widescreen.

THE ROAD
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by John Hillcoat
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Molly Parker, Garret Dillahunt
Dimension//Rated R//Sci-Fi//119 minutes
Available on: DVD and Blu-Ray
A widower (Mortensen) sustained only by love for his young son (Smit-McPhee), leads the boy on a forced march through an apocalyptic world. A decade after terrible earthquakes and fires ravage the planet, few people remain and nothing can grow in the smoggy atmosphere. Sustained by memories of his loving wife (Theron), the man searches for a place where his son will be safe, but first he must fight off cannibals and thieves. The film is adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel, a Pulitzer Prizewinner that comes across as preachy on film. DVD or Blu-Ray features: Making-of featurette, Deleted Scenes, director commentary, Blu-Ray Exclusive features: movieIQ™+sync and BD-Live for real-time info while watching the movie.

FLASHPOINT: Season Two
(2009)
* * (C)
Created by Mark Ellis, Stephanie Morgenstern
Starring Enrico Colantoni, Amy Jo Johnson, Hugh Dillon, David Paetkau, Michael Cram, Sergio Di Zio, Mark Taylor
Paramount//Not Rated//Drama//338 minutes
Available on: DVD
Toronto's Emergency Task Force defuses bombs, climbs the sides of skyscrapers and fields trained negotiators who are also capable of rescuing hostages by force. Plenty goes wrong for team members, both in the line of duty and their personal lives. Though the characters' workaday struggles are credibly depicted, the show's soft storytelling technique blunts its edgy subject matter. 2-Disc DVD features: featurettes: Stunts, Weapons, Hugh Dillon works well with others, English language tracks, widescreen.

MALICE IN WONDERLAND
(2009)
-Bomb- (F)
Directed by Simon Fellows
Starring Maggie Grace, Matt King, Danny Dyer, Nathaniel Parker, Bronagh Gallagher, Anthony Higgins, Steve Haze, Dave Lynn
Magnolia//Rated R//Fantasy//87 minutes
Available on: DVD
Lewis Carroll's tale is re-imagined and set in present day London. While escaping a dull German fiancee, American socialite Alice (Grace) is hit by a London cab. The driver, named Whitey (a stand-in for the white rabbit), takes Alice to a party after he learns she is suffering from amnesia. While she tries to make sense of her circumstances, Whitey (Dyer) attempts to befriend a crook because Whitey wants in on the major heist he is said to be planning. The truth of Alice's situation turns out to be as tired as the film's lazy dialog and lackluster action. "Off with its head." DVD features: Making of featurette, Behind the scenes, Photo gallery, English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.

RAIN FALL
(2009)
* * (C)
Directed by Max Mannix
Starring Gary Oldman, Hasegawa Kyoko, Kippei Shiina, Max Mannix, Akira Emoto
Lionsgate//Rated R//Action//111 minutes
Available on: DVD
Release Date May 25, 2010
John Rain (Shiina) is an assassin working in Tokyo when he learns his CIA handler (Oldman) is determined to kill both Rain and Midori (Hasegawa), the innocent daughter of Rain's most recent target. Together, Rain and Midori go on the run, though they mostly stroll because a slew of government killers can't seem to track them down. Despite the exotic locations and adequate acting, this momentum-challenged actioner is soon all wrung out. DVD features: Cast and crew interviews, Trailer gallery, English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.

MERLIN AND THE BOOK OF BEASTS
(2009)
* (Grade D)
Directed by Warren P. Sonoda, Jesse Moss
Starring James Callis, Laura Harris, Monique Ganderton, Donald Adams, Patrick Sabongui, Maja Stace-Smith, Jim Thorburn
Anchor Bay//Not Rated//Fantasy//92 minutes
Available on: Blu-Ray
When the evil sorcerer Mordred unleashes the Medusa twins and a plague of homicidal insects on the kingdom, Merlin must save the day with help from deceased King Arthur's daughter, Avlynn. She alone can wield Excalibur against Mordred, but can do nothing to enliven lifeless special effects or to invigorate this poorly paced screenplay. Merlin should zap this mangled Sci-Fi Channel effort into oblivion.

THE SHORTCUT
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Nicholaus Goosen
Starring Dave Franco, Andrew Seeley, Shannon Woodward, Katrina Bowden, Josh Emerson, Nicholas Elia, Raymond J. Barry
Anchor Bay//Rated PG-13//Horror//85 minutes
Available on: Blu-Ray
After his little brother Tobey (Elia) sees something frightening in the woods, Derek (Seeley) and his teen friends venture into the forest to seek out a scary old man said to dwell there. A low-budget horror casting James Franco's little brother Dave, the story takes the unfortunate shortcut of telegraphing its plot twists. Blu-Ray features: Director commentary, Behind the scenes featurette, theatrical trailer, DD SS 5.1 English language tracks, Spanish Subtitles, widescreen.

THE SHADOW WITHIN
(2007)
*1/2 (C-)
Directed by Silvana Zancolo
Starring Bonny Ambrose, Laurence Belcher, Rod Hallett, Haley J. Williams, Beth Winslet
MTI//Rated R//Horror//93 minutes
Available on: DVD
Maurice (Belcher), 9, is plagued by the malevolent spirit of his dead twin brother Jacques, as well as those of other recently deceased local children. In an effort to speak with her dead son, Maurice's mother Marie (Williams) allows Madame Armand (Ambrose) to lead a seance forcing Maurice to channel his twin's spirit. Kate Winslet's sister Beth appears in a gratuitous role as a doctor, the sole adult concerned for Maurice's soul. The film hits its high mark during unnerving sequences that depict child-shaped shadows chasing Maurice, but the effect of these creepy moments is dissipated by talky execution, and the overall lack of plot. DVD features: Trailers, English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.

SPARTACUS
(1960)
*1/2 (C-)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Kirk Douglas, Peter Ustinov, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, John Gavin, Nina Foch
Universal//Rated PG-13//180 minutes
50th Anniversary Edition Available on: Blu-Ray
Douglas appears as a gladiator leading a slave revolt against Rome, but the stagy toga-and-sandals production is made corny by a self-aggrandizing score. Charismatic Douglas produced and wrangled Simmons to play his love interest, Olivier for the role of Crassus, Laughton to portray a curmudgeonly senator, John Gavin as young Julius Caesar, Peter Ustinov to portray greedy businessman Batiatus, and best of all, Tony Curtis -- replete with a New York accent -- as Antoninus. Restored in 1991, Anthony Hopkins dubbed Olivier's voice in the "snails and oysters" scene while Curtis dubbed his own voice, because the original soundtrack could not be salvaged. Blu-Ray features: Deleted Scenes, Behind-the-scenes Footage, Archival Interviews with Peter Ustinov and Jean Simmons, 5 Vintage Newsreels, Image Galleries, including Production Stills, Concept Art, Costume Designs, Storyboards, Posters, Print Ads, English language tracks, French or Spanish subtitles.