The retail release gods are taking mercy on me this week. Not a lot out that screams “must have” for me. Next week will be different.
Lets check out some of what’s hitting retail shelves today:
Leaves of Grass
The lives of two identical twins, one an Ivy League philosophy professor, the other a small-time and brilliant marijuana grower, intertwine when the professor is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown for a doomed scheme against a local drug lord.
I was waiting for this to come out on DVD so I could rent it. The dual roles of Edward Norton in this just continue to prove this mans ability and I was itching to see how it played out.
Splice
Superstar genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing DNA from different animals to create incredible new hybrids. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But when the pharmaceutical company that funds their research forbids it, Clive and Elsa secretly take their boldest experimentation underground—risking their careers by pushing the boundaries of science to serve their own curiosity and ambition.
The result is Dren, an amazing, strangely beautiful creature of uncommon intelligence and an array of unexpected physical developments.
At first, Dren exceeds their wildest dreams. But as she grows and learns at an accelerated rate, her existence threatens to become their worst nightmare.
Another one that I was waiting for on DVD, and will likely get the rentals list. I wasn’t that sucked in, but reviews have been good.
Jonah Hex – Check out our Review
Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a stoic, battle-hardened gunslinger who can track down anyone… and anything. Having survived death, Jonah’s violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the “other side.” A man fated to wander alone, his sole human connection is with Lilah (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own.
Jonah’s past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can’t refuse: in exchange for freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the sinister terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), the man who killed Hex’s family and mutilated his face with a branding iron. Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah’s oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead.
I had so much hope for this movie, and Megan Fox as a prostitute. Sadly the movie lost steam when the trailer came out and I barely cared after that.
Pass.
Lost Boys 3: The Thirst
The thankless life of a vampire hunter has taken its toll on Edgar Frog. After losing best friend and fellow vamp fighter, Sam, he has started to let himself slide. He’s down to selling his prized comic book collection just to pay rent on a decrepit trailer when stunning vampire novelist Gwen approaches with an offer. She needs him to find her brother who has gone missing after getting sucked into a series of underground raves, called ‘The Gathering,’ held by an enigmatic spinner named DJ Dusk.
I am hesitant as I was really hoping for a Corey vs Corey showdown hinted in the deleted stinger from Lost Boys 2: The Tribe. But nostalgia rules and I want to see the Frog Brothers kick some ass.
So what’s making your “must have” list this week?
I picked up the classic Shaw Bros. – 8 Diagram Pole Fighter. Dragon Dynasty finally released it.
I have no intrest in Hex…the N/T script, the focus on the lame supernatural aspect (sorry, just because it was revamped for Hex in the comics doesnot mean it was a great idea) but when Megan Fox was cast, it was, for me, the dirt on the coffin. Not the final nail. The dirt.
I also had low expectations on the DTV Lost Boys 3: The Thirst, but as you say, nostagia “kinda” rules. “Kinda” meaning I rented it and watched it. In it we have :
Someone 10X hotter than Megan Fox, and can act a little better—even if Tanit Phoenix shows us bathing suits and skivvies (and not bad Victoria Secret fashion at that) anyhow, she’s the horror vovelist. I really liked the character, because the film went to town on jabs at the Twilight crowd.
The vampires are not as memorable as the original set much less the previous sequel’s half-brother set. There is one vampire that stands out, and it’s not DJ X. It’s…well, remember that alternate ending of the previous film?
It is that vampire (or a half vampire) that gets the blood pumping. I grinned- for one minute, it was the best thing in the film, other than a heart ripping scene.
There’s also a lame twist and a lame surprise too- one of which sets up Lost Boys 4 although not a cliffhanger.
It’s not outstanding and of course does not hold a candle the first film- but it is a big improvement on LB Tribe by spades.
Splice was neat stuff.
Splice wasn’t too bad… but it was advertised as a horror, and it was definitely not. More like a drama – a good one, but definitely like a drama. I came out of it feeling cheated.
Hopefully the same doesn’t happen for you.
**You of all people know that opinions are subjective, so a ‘drama’ to me could be an ‘exploitation sex horror’ to you. I get that a lot. But there isn’t a lot of violence in this, so keep that in mind.