Nick’s Picks 02/29/12

DVD REVIEWS

FREE DVD GIVEAWAY

We are doing a Free DVD Giveaway! If you are interested in a chance at winning a free copy of The Best of Antiques Roadshow, Thomas & Friends: Curious Cargo, Death Note: Volume 9, Cook’s Country: Season 4, Delocated: Season 1 & 2, The Spill, Michael Jackson: Trial and Triumph of the King, Simon & Simon: Best of Season 3, The Backyardigans: Big Backyard Adventure, Spongebob Squarepants: Season 2, Dora The Explorer: Out of This World Adventure, Amazing Underground Secrets, NOVA: Bombing Hitler’s Dams, American Teacher, I Meet with You, Little Angels: 1-2-3, Little Angels: A-B-C, Annie Hall or Miss Bala, it is really easy! All you have to do is send me an email at HoustonMovieGuy@gmail.com. The subject line of the email should read DVD GIVEAWAY. In the body of the email, be sure to put your name, full mailing address and which DVD or Blu-ray you would like. Winners will be selected by random drawing. Best of luck!

THOMAS & FRIENDS: Curious Cargo – HIT Entertainment

Thomas and his buddies are back and better than ever! The movie opens with an engine driver Perkins entering the Knapford Engine Drivers Common Room. Sir Topham Hatt calls and informs Perkins that he will be coming to inspect the station. Perkins begins cleaning the messy station in preparation for the inspection.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: Season 2 – Nickelodeon

SpongeBob’s sophomore year on television was as loopy as season 1, way down in the underwater town known as Bikini Bottom. The 40 animated episodes on SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Second Season find the cackling little optimist-hero and his bizarre community back in action, defending the honor of fast-food eatery the Krusty Krab, redefining the meaning of friendship along rather disturbing lines, and presenting new challenges and opportunities for SpongeBob–which means he’s almost certain to alienate and offend someone every time. “Something Smells” finds the unfailingly friendly SpongeBob plagued by an antisocial problem with profoundly bad breath, about which he hasn’t a clue, of course. “Squid’s Day Off” features fan favorite Squidward the curmudgeon in priceless scenes of gnawing anxiety after he leaves the Krusty Krab in SpongeBob’s typically incapable hands. “You Wish/Shanghaied” is a very funny piece in which SpongeBob, best friend Patrick the starfish, and Squidward stumble upon the Flying Dutchman’s sunken ship, squander two out of three wishes, and then weigh their individual preferences for that final wish.

DORA THE EXPLORER: Out of this World Adventure – Nickelodeon

It’s hours of excitement with Dora in this collection of movie-length adventures! Restore Snowy Forest’s snow when Dora jumps into a storybook in Dora Saves The Snow Princess! Dive under the ocean to save Mermaid Kingdom in Dora Saves The Mermaids, and return missing Friendship Bracelets all over the world in World Adventure.

ANTHONY BOURDAIN: A Cook’s Tour Complete Series – Questar

The #1 food writer and television presenter in the world, Anthony Bourdain reinvented the food travel genre. In his groundbreaking first series, that originally aired on the Food Network, Bourdain travels around the world indulging his taste for local cuisine and eccentric characters. Join Tony as he feasts on sushi in Tokyo, enjoys authentic Mexican cuisine, and traverses the Australian Outback on a memorable food journey. You never know what he ll say, who he ll meet, or what they ll have for dinner. Disc 1: The United States – 8 episodes Through the course of his normal workday at Brasserie Les Halles in New York City, Tony takes us on a trip down memory lane to the most formative moments of his chef career. Other episodes include No Beads, No Babes, No Bourbon Street (New Orleans), The French Laundry Experience (Napa), and My Own Heart of Darkness (LA). Disc 2: Mexico and the Americas – 5 episodes Tony heads to a Oaxacan food market, where he tastes toasted grasshoppers, tripe soup and a local sausage which yields a flavorful red oil. Other episodes include Food Tastes Better with Sand Between your Toes (St. Martin) and A Mystical World, and How to be a Carioca (Brazil). Disc 3: Europe – 6 episodes Arachon, France, the birthplace of Tony s father, was the first place Tony learned to love food. Tony revisits his childhood and enjoys many staples, including steak frites, gaufres (waffles), and soupe de pecheur (fisherman s soup). Other episodes include A Pleasing Palate (London) and Highland Grub (Scotland). Disc 4: Morocco and Russia – 4 episodes After sampling local dishes and vodka in St. Petersburg, Tony enjoys a steam, eats smoked fish and ends the outing with a dip in the outdoor cold pool. Other episodes include Desert Feast and Traditional Tastes (Morocco). Disc 5: Australia and Japan – 5 episodes When Tony s car breaks down in the outback, he is found by a veteran of the bush who brings him back to camp and feeds him a slap-up meal of bush tucker, including kangaroo and wattleseed-bush tomato. Other episodes include The Wild West of Cooking (Melbourne), Mad Tony (Sydney), and Dining with Geishas (Rural Japan). Disc 6: Asia – 7 episodes Tony has a spontaneous adventure in Bangkok where he tries foods such as deep fried frog skins and pla rah, a fish paste that has fermented for three months. Other episodes include Eating on the Mekong (Vietnam) and Wild Delicacies (Cambodia). The perfect chef with an opinion you can trust!

THE BRIEF: Complete Collection – Acorn

Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) stars in the seriocomic misadventures of clever criminal law barrister Henry Farmer, whose every day is a juggling act between surviving his messy personal life and pleading cases only he can win. Whether he’s trying to keep an innocent person from going to jail or save himself from financial ruin, Henry’s life is a symphony of chaos, both inside and outside the courtroom. His long list of problems includes a mountain of gambling debts, an affair with an important politician’s wife (Zara Turner), a distant son, and a sharp-tongued father—who’s also a judge. Working with tough colleague Cleo Steyn (Cherie Lunghi) and alongside a cast of colorful characters (including Christopher Fulford and Linda Bassett), Henry will need all his wit and charm to secure justice for his clients and a reprieve for himself.

RABIES – Image

A psychotic serial killer on the loose in the woods crosses paths with a group of unsuspecting teenagers. Soon people are dying one by one… but the bad guy isn’t who you think. Turning genre conventions on their head with a smart script and plenty of unexpected scares, Rabies is a surprising debut worthy of its mantle as Israel’s first-ever slasher horror film.

INSIGHT – Phase 4 Films

While attempting to save the life of a fatally stabbed young woman, ER nurse Kaitlyn is accidentally electrocuted by a backfiring defibrillator. Upon awakening, she begins to experience memories that are not hers, but rather those of the now deceased victim. With her sanity in question and nowhere to turn, Kaitlyn must weave through the woman’s past and piece together her memories before the killer strikes again.

MARTHA MARCY MAY ARLENE – Fox

Martha Marcy May Marlene creates a sense of uneasy suspense within seconds of coming on screen: a young woman, who will be known by all the title names at various times in the movie, is escaping from a rural commune of some sort. And not just a commune, but by the looks of it, a cult–an impression that will grow as Martha flashes back to her experiences once she reaches the safety of her sister’s antiseptic country place. It is part of director Sean Durkin’s design that we experience the film as Martha’s point of view, which means there may be some question about whether she’s an emotionally unstable person to begin with or simply in a legitimate terror about the traumatizing events that have unfolded for her in recent months.

AMAZING UNDERGROUND SECRETS – Questar

It’s something we never think about in our daily lives but beneath our feet there s a whole other world. It ranges from meandering tunnels to massive caverns to whole cities, an astonishing variety of underground constructions that prove that there’s more to our planet than meets the eye. Some of what lurks below we know about but there’s a lot more that we don’t. Some we were never meant to discover, never meant to see. Some projects are so ancient that even now we don’t fully understand their purpose. And some are so secret that few people know they re there. All are extraordinary works of engineering, sometimes breathtaking in scale. Why were they made, and how? This series goes deep underground, in search of the hidden side of our history. In three programs we ll go across the globe to uncover everything from smugglers tunnels to underground towns complete with transport systems and factories; from ancient caves and catacombs to the most modern technological marvels; and from natural wonders to groundbreaking scientific experiments. We’ll dig deep into their construction, discover the stories behind them and talk to some of the people who work, and even live, underground.

BOMBING HITLER’S DAMS – PBS

In 1943 a squadron of Lancaster bombers staged one of the most audacious raids in history, destroying two gigantic dams in Germany’s industrial heartland with a revolutionary bouncing bomb invented by British engineer Barnes Wallis. Now, NOVA re-creates the extreme engineering challenges faced by Wallis and the pilots.

ANNIE HALL – MGM

Annie Hall is one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful–if neurotic–television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton) is a Midwestern transplant who dabbles in photography and sings in small clubs. When the two meet, the sparks are immediate–if repressed. Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie navigate a minefield of self-conscious “is-this-person-someone-I’d-want-to-get-involved-with?” conversation. Despite all their caution, they connect, and we’re swept up in the flush of their new romance. Allen’s antic sensibility shines here in a series of flashbacks to Alvy’s childhood, growing up, quite literally, under a rumbling roller coaster.

MISS BALA – Fox

An aspiring beauty queen finds herself in the wrong place at the worst possible time in this explosive crime thriller set amid Mexico’s increasingly violent drug war. After witnessing a shooting in a nightclub, the young woman is kidnapped and forced to work for ruthless gangsters in order to keep her dreams—and her family—alive.

LITTLE ANGELS 1-2-3 – Fox

From executive producer Roma Downey comes a delightful, inspirational and educational series that preschoolers and their parents will enjoy! Through the stories of David and Goliath, the Walls of Jericho, and other fables, eight adorable angels teach young Alex and Zoe to be grateful and generous. There are a dozen things to learn every week! With help from their angelic pals, Alex and Zoe learn how to count to 12. Each DVD includes a Digital Copy of the main feature for learning on the go!

LITTLE ANGELS A-B-C – Fox

From executive producer Roma Downey comes a delightful, inspirational and educational series that preschoolers and their parents will enjoy! Through moral lessons and the story of Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors, eight adorable angels teach young Alex and Zoe about sharing, faith and forgiveness. There are so many letters from A to Z! With help from their angelic pals, Alex and Zoe learn about the alphabet.

AMERICAN TEACHER – First Run Features

As the debate over America’s public schools rages on, the one thing everyone agrees on is the need for great teachers. Yet while research has shown that teachers are the most important in-school factor in a child’s success, America’s educators are so underpaid that almost two-thirds must work a second job in order to make a living. Chronicling the stories of four teachers in different areas of the country, American Teacher reveals the frustrating realities of today’s teachers, the difficulty of attracting talented new educators, and why so many of our best teachers leave the profession altogether. Can we re-value teaching and turn it into a prestigious, financially attractive and desirable profession? With almost half of American teachers leaving the field in the next ten years, now is the time to find out.

I MELT WITH YOU – Magnolia

Richard (Thomas Jane), Ron (Jeremy Piven), Jonathan (Rob Lowe), and Tim (Christian McKay) are friends from college who gather each year for a hardcore weekend of partying. As the weekend progresses, fueled by sex, drugs, and rock n roll, their reunion drives them to an unexpected place where each is forced to confront himself and the choices hes made in his life.

HUGO – Paramount

Welcome to a magical world of spectacular adventure! When wily and resourceful Hugo discovers a secret left by his father, he unlocks a mystery and embarks on a quest that will transform those around him and lead to a safe and loving place he can call home. Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese invites you to experience a thrilling journey that critics are calling the stuff that dreams are made of.

PUSS IN BOOTS – Dreamworks

In this fractured fairy tale, Jack and Jill have the magic beans and Humpty Dumpty, with the aid of Kitty Softpaws, convinces his old friend Puss in Boots to help him steal the beans so they can climb the beanstalk to get to the golden eggs. Never mind that Humpty Dumpty and Puss in Boots had a falling out years ago, or that Jack and Jill are completely preoccupied by their squabbling over whether or not to have a child–and regardless that Puss in Boots is a wanted cat who’s sworn off his thieving ways, and Kitty Softpaws is a cat burglar who works alone. Comedy abounds in this film, not only in the twists and turns of some classic fairy tales gone awry, but with scenes that range from a litter-box dance fight between crowds of cats to Jack expressing his paternal instincts by strapping on a baby carrier filled with a piglet in a diaper, and, of course, Puss in Boots’ crafty use of his famous sad eyes to get just what he wants.

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Posted by FortBendStar on Feb 29 2012. Filed under Nick's Picks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.