DVD Review

I've had a chance to take a look at a couple of the new releases this week and here's what I've thought so far...

Man on Fire (R)

The performances of Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning rescue their respective characters from the pit of cliche. Tony Scott's directorial style gives a simple story some complexity. The film runs a little long. Don't expect Washington to become that proverbial Man on Fire until the movie is half-way over, but from there on out it is a heckuva ride. RENTAL

Young Adam (NC-17)

Sexually charged and driven movie about a morally reprehensible guy. The movie unfolds the only way it could to give the story any shot at an element of surprise and I guess the plot twist that this guy is just a first-class jerk. The entire thing kinda defies the notion of what story is supposed to be. Robert McKee's not gonna be happy with this one. I hope it wasn't penned by one of his students. Yikes. Who cares if the performances are good? I didn't care for the story or the characters. FORGEDABOUDIT!

The Girl Next Door (R)

Hit and miss. I really dug the homage to Risky Business early on--the outlandish dreams and the music--and to be honest I really could relate to the the lead character in this film. His sense of quiet desperation at the thought of graduating high school without having done anything he really wanted to do. Surprisingly this story is quite touching through certain sequences but once the homage became cliche (lets face it, it is virtually a remake of Risky Business with porn stars in lieu of prostitutes sans Joe Pantilliano) I became disappointed. Still, Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch performances elevate this one a cut above standard teenage hormone overload flair. MATINEE