Blogcritics Author: Dusty Somers

Blu-ray Review: Ghost Town (2008)

Dusty Somers — Thu, 1 Jan 2009 22:18:54 EST

Ricky Gervais can do no wrong in this little-seen romantic comedy.
The FilmBritish funnyman Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras) has deserved a lead role in a film for some time now. Gervais transcends funny; in fact, "funny" doesn’t even seem like a strong enough word to describe him. He’s one of those gifted few who can open their mouth and elicit laughter no matter what he says.Due to that...

DVD Review: Man on Wire

Dusty Somers — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:26:55 EST

The fascinating journey of a man who walked across the sky is one of the best films of the year.
As gripping as the best caper films, and as fascinating as the best fiction screenplays, Man on Wire is one of the best films of the year, documentary or otherwise. It’s a brilliant and beautiful piece of filmmaking that’s worthy of the incredible feat it tells of, and in many ways, just like feat it's vibrant, whimsical and...

DVD Review: Horton Hears a Who! (2008) - Two-Disc Special Edition

Dusty Somers — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:04:02 EST

"A person's a person, no matter how small."
While the story depth and animation quality don’t quite rival the masterpieces Pixar cranks out on a regular basis, Horton Hears a Who! is a first-rate animated flick that’s one of the best of 2008. Certainly, Wall-E will take home the Oscar for best animated film, but in a lesser, non-Pixar year, it’s not too hard to imagine...

Blu-ray Review: Hot Rod

Dusty Somers — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:27:25 EST

Andy Samberg presents an 87-minute seminar on how not to be funny.
The Film Hot Rod begins with Saturday Night Live resident jackass Andy Samberg taking his moped off a wooden ramp and ramming his face into the ground. It’s not funny. And yet, there are at least seven more variations of this exact scene yet to come in what is a very long 87 minutes. You know those films that would have worked better as a...

Blu-ray Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Dusty Somers — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:44:15 EST

A seminal sci-fi classic comes to high definition for the first time.
The FilmJust in time to be compared with its vastly inferior remake, the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still arrives in a new special edition DVD, and for the first time in high definition. Robert Wise’s documentary-style indictment of Cold War paranoia and nuclear proliferation remains remarkably potent today, without much of the...

Blu-ray Review: Mamma Mia!

Dusty Somers — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 11:49:33 EST

One of the cheesiest musicals of all time comes to the screen in an adaptation marred by poor direction.
The Film When undertaking an adaptation of a theatrical production, it's absolutely essential that one takes into account the differences between the mediums. When the source material is a musical, the stakes are even higher. Movie musicals cannot be staged or filmed like the action is taking place on a stage in front of a live audience; it...

Music Review: - The Definitive Rod Stewart (Deluxe Version)

Dusty Somers — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:48:40 EST

Another greatest hits release from Rod the Bod.
When you’ve been around as long as Rod Stewart, greatest hits albums seem to appear on pace with the recommended colonoscopy schedule, so it should come as no surprise that 2008 brings the release of The Definitive Rod Stewart. After all, it’s been seven years since the release of The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart, a...

DVD Review: Spin City - The Complete Season One

Dusty Somers — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:51:33 EST

Michael J. Fox's political sitcom finally makes its way to DVD.
It’s been a long time coming, but the first season of ABC sitcom Spin City has arrived on DVD. The show ran from 1996 to 2002, with Michael J. Fox starring as Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty for the first four seasons before he stepped down due to complications from Parkinson’s and was replaced by Charlie Sheen.More than ten years after the...

Movie Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Dusty Somers — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:23:15 EST

Holocaust drama lite that takes a turn in the final act.
As trendy as it is for filmmakers to take an alternate look at a story by portraying it through the eyes of the villains, you don’t see too many awarding that sympathetic angle to the Nazis.There’s a good reason for that. When it comes to the Nazis, it’s hard to find much to be sympathetic about. Bring an eight-year-old in as the...

DVD Review: Hannah Montana - The Complete First Season

Dusty Somers — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:22:43 EST

Tweens worldwide are rejoicing.
Remember the good old days of Hannah Montana? You know, before scalpers were asking as much as $3,000 a ticket for her sold-out concerts. And before Vanity Fair was getting hammered for the “topless” pictures of her real-life alter ego Miley Cyrus. And before 15-year-old Cyrus was dating a 20-year-old underwear model. Ah yes, the good...