life.in.motion




Archive for March 10th, 2009

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DVD preview: Caprica—there’s frakkin’ life after/before BSG


Click here for Earl Dittman’s reviews of the new DVDs for Role Models, Australia and season one of Breaking Bad.

Before the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica begins its regular series run in 2010 on the Sci Fi Channel, Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing the feature-length pilot episode on DVD and for digital download this April 21. Come check out our preview after the (FTL) jump.

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DVD reviews: Role Models, Australia and Breaking Bad


role-models-dvd-thumbnail6Role Models: Unrated
Sarcastic, hard-partying and anti-PC. So what makes the leads in Role Models different from those of any other modern buddy film? This time, not only are the buddies Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott (OK, I guess that doesn’t technically count as ‘different’), they are also mentoring expletive-loving adolescents who clearly need mature guidance. Which makes it all kind of like Wedding Crashers meets Kindergarten Cop. Well, kind of.

Australia
Contemporary chick flicks have sagely added a sub-category that we’ll call “couple-watchable” (versus “hardcore girly,” which sounds waaaay better than the reality of the situation). The Baz Lurhmann-directed Australia is fine for australia-dvd-thumbnail5couples. Sure there is a romance between Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, there’s sweeping music and there are a couple of weepy moments, but this Gone With The Wind from Down Under easily offers enough action/war sequences to balance it out. Which means that you can score (points) with your wife or girlfriend by suggesting that you watch it. She’ll inevitably mistake the gesture as pure thoughtfulness, so really, everybody wins. Particularly you.

Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season
Irreverent and ballsy, Breaking Bad’s controversial first season represents cable TV at its best. (Conveniently, S2 is just about to debut, just as the DVD of S1 has streeted–what are the odds?) Featuring Emmy winner Bryan Cranston as the down-and-out, terminally ill chemistry teacher who becomes a successful crystal-meth dealer in order to provide for his family, and Aaron Paul as a former student who has become his partner in the lucrative venture, Breaking Bad is a brutal, unflinching and very credible slice of suburban life that will entertain, surprise and leave you a bit unsettled.


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CD review: Nat King Cole’s Re:Generations


The late Nat King Cole had conceivably the sweetest and most romantic voice of all the great pop crooners, and you can bet there were scores of babies conceived to his silky soundtrack. That classic voice is now being introduced to a modern audience via an eclectic collection of collaborations with current singers and producers.

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