A Plumm Summer - Buy from Amazon
The family film opened in limited release this time last year, earned
very weak reviews, and completely bombed at the box office. So with that, I went into this movie with very low expectations.
A Plumm Summer is inspired be real life events and tells the story of the events of one summer in Montana and focuses on the lives of two brothers, Elliott and Rocky. Rocky, the younger brother is obsessed with all things Froggy Doo, Froggy Doo being part of the most popular kids show in Montana, Happy Herb and Froggy Doo show. However, while making a public appearance, Froggy Doo is frog-napped and held for ransom. When the FBI is called in and can't crack the case, Elliott and Rocky, along with Haley Dubois, a new girl in town, try to solve it themselves. The movie is also a coming of age movie with Elliot having to deal with his first crush, an alcoholic father, and a mother who has had enough.
A lot of critics compared this movie to the family films of the 1970s, and this can be taken as both a compliment and a criticism. On the one hand, the film does have an old-fashion charm to it. On the other hand, films made today are a lot sharper than this one is. The story also feels old-fashion, and not in a good way. Maudlin is one word used to describe it, and I can't disagree with that assessment. Some of the acting was also suspect, which is not surprising given the inexperience of the three main actors. Finally, I think the filmmakers should have decided to go with a light-hearted 'Hardy Boys' mystery regarding the missing puppet, or a dysfunctional family drama, and not both. Trying to do too much hurt the film's effectiveness in both directions.
Extras are much better than expected given the film's box office challenges, starting with an audio commentary track with writer / director Caroline Zelder and writer / producer Frank Antonelli. There are also 4-minute of outtakes, three deleted scenes with a total running time of 2:24, a behind-the-scenes look set to music, and finally 6-minute featurette on the red carpet premiere.
Nostalgia. I think nostalgia is the key selling feature for A Plumm Summer. If you grew-up on family films from the 1970s and have kids in the right demographic, this movie might be worth checking out, but rent it.
Shooting Star - Buy from Amazon
Torrey DeVitto of One Tree Hill fame stars as a Hollywood Diva who escapes from rehab to a small town in Utah where she isn't recognized by anyone. I can't find any reviews under this name, or its original, Heber Holiday. But it did win some awards at some Mormon film festivals.
Smother - Buy from Amazon
Diane Keaton continues her downward trend at the box office starring in this film, which may or may not have ever playing theatrically. (We don't have any box office numbers for it.) The reviews were not that bad, but with no extras, it is worth no more than a rental.
TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection - Buy from Amazon: American Musicals, Broadway Musicals, John Wayne Westerns, Western Adventures, World War II- Battlefront Europe, and World War II- Battlefront Europe
The next wave of 2-disc, 4-movie DVDs from TCM. Not a bad deal if you are only interested in the movies, not extras, and you don't have most of them on DVD already.
That Girl - Season Five - Buy from Amazon
The fifth and final season of this sitcom. It was groundbreaking when it first came out, now it seems positively old-fashioned, but in a good way. Today a TV show about a single woman living on her own and not with a husband or a father is common, but without the charm of Marlo Thomas, that would not be the case. No Marlo Thomas, No Maude. No Maude, no Mary Tyler Moore. No Mary Tyler Moore, well, you get the picture. Great show. My only concern for those who haven't been buying the TV series so far is the high chance of there being an full series set coming out sooner rather than later.
Twilight - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
The Blu-ray finally comes out in all stores after weeks of being a Best Buy / Target exclusive. Don't know how this will affect Blu-ray sales. Pretty sure it won't be possible. Also coming out as a Gift Set with physical extras like postcards and certificates and the like.
The Uninvited - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The
Blu-ray arrived this week, so here is a quick update from
last week's review. I don't need to go into the quality of the film or into details on the extras, I'll just jump right into the differences between the
DVD and the
Blu-ray.
There's almost none. There are no additional extra features (Strike One) the sound and audio are only average for High Definition (Strike Two) and it costs 55% more on Amazon (Strike Three). The DVD is only worth a rental, and there's nothing about the Blu-ray that lifts it above that level.
Wendy and Lucy - Buy from Amazon
Michelle Williams stars as the titular Wendy, a woman who traveling to a summer job, and potentially a new life, when her car breaks down in a small town. The film earned strong reviews and a couple Independent Spirit Award Nominations, but it was never able to find an audience. (That said, it did earn a lot more than its $200,000 production budget.) Extras on the DVD are limited to five experimental short films from the director, but it is still worth checking out for most, picking up for many.
Will & Grace - Best Of - Buy from Amazon: Friends and Foes and Love and Marriage
Two 2-disc DVDs from the long-running TV series. There are a lot of fans of this show; however, they most likely have these episodes on DVD, either as part of full season sets, or as part of the full series Megaset.
- C.S.Strowbridge
Date posted: 2009-05-05
Sunday, November 22, 2009
