Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.
Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles and what follows are not necessarily reviews. It is my opinion based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists that I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations upon them are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.
Kung Fu Panda. Here is a movie that surprised the heck out of me. I was hoping it would be good and what I got was one of the finer animated films of the year, and possibly the best that Dreamworks Animation has offered so far. The action is very well done and the story is reminiscent of old school kung fu films. The screenplay is witty, smart, and fast-paced, creating a very enjoyable film for the whole family. If that isn't enough, there is an edition that includes a second film centered on Po's mentors called Secrets of the Furious Five.
Futurama: Bender's Game. Any Futurama is good Futurama. This is the third direct to DVD film spawned from the popular series. This time around Bender wants in on Dungeons & Dragons, but does not have the programmed imagination for it. Of course, his plans do not go as, well, planned. He lands in an asylum, leaving the rest of the Planet Express crew to save him. I am sure there is more to it, but I still need to see it!
Get Smart. This is not a great movie by any stretch, but it is highly entertaining with strong work from all involved. It is neither pure comedy nor pure action, but a film that balances the two in equal proportion. The end result is a movie that will hold your attention as Maxwell Smart realizes his dream.
Shrek the Halls. Halloween is over, meaning we are now at the dawn of the stretch run towards Christmas, so expect more Christmas related titles to appear. This first appeared as a special last year and was a huge hit for ABC. I did not see it, but do not see the need to own it; I am sure they will be re-running it this year.
Article comments
1 - bibbyroo
hey mr. beaumont- i like the changes! first, i appreciate the full disclosure that you now include, and also notice that you dropped the buy/rent/skip options. seems like a wise decision, they were fairly unnecessary anyway!
just a quick question: your pick of the week is 'kung fu panda', but this past sundays ad didnt include that one in the new releases, is it being released tuesday, or this coming sunday? thanks.
2 - Chris Beaumont
Don't count the recommendations out yet! I just kind of forgot them.... :)
I have seen release dates for KFP listing both Saturday and Sunday. They just had to be different with their dates, will have to make sure it isn't in next week's list too!
3 - Blake
Reaper is coming back for season 2, it's a mid-season replacement!
4 - Chris Beaumont
Good News, indeed. Thanks, Blake. I thought I remembered hearing it was coming back.
5 - Kaisey
Kung Fu Panda is not a good movie! It was the worst one I ever saw! Jack Black plays this fat panda, Po who is not funny!