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Max Payne DVD review

February 25, 2009 By

Well unfortunately, Chris and I are not only not getting better, we are both getting worse. He is home from work for the third day in a row, and now he’s coughing up green gunk, and so weak he can hardly stand. My throat is irritated and it hurts at the top of my chest when I cough. I really, REALLY hope we can both beat this soon because it is exhausting to be sick and try to parent three kids too.

maxpayneI have no energy to do anything except lay on the couch and watch DVDs. One recent movie I watched was “Max Payne“, the 2-Disc Special Edition, starring Mark Wahlberg. It’s based on a popular video game about a former narcotics agent reassigned to the Cold Case department, seeking both answers and revenge for the murder of his wife and baby. While investigating, Max meets a woman with a wing tattoo on her arm; she soon turns up dead, carrying the wallet she stole from Max. Next, Max’s former partner Alex (Donal Logue) turns up a clue connecting the woman’s grisly dismemberment to the death of Max’s loved ones, but he too winds up slaughtered, in Max’s apartment, of all places.

Now Max is a murder suspect himself, and while trying to figure out what the wing tattoo means, he is drawn into a world of the supernatural. He meets Mona, the sister of the first victim, played by Mila Kunis (“That 70s Show”). She plays a Russian hired assassin who’s character really could have used a tad more backstory. I mean, she looks hot and wears leather and big hulking guys take orders from her, but it’s not apparent at all at first that she’s a trained assassin.

Other stars in this movie include Beau Bridges, Chris O’Donnell, Kate Burton and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. It’s not a bad movie as far as solve-the-mystery, shoot-em-up movies go. You just have to watch it and remember you are watching a movie based on a video game. And completely suspend your disbelief in order to accept the ending.

The 2-Disc special edition DVD includes both the theatrical and unrated director’s cut (which I watched), and a “making of” documentary. It’s available on Blu-Ray too.

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DVD Review- The Happening

October 19, 2008 By

dvd review the happeningI wanted to do a review of M. Knight Shymalan’s The Happening for one reason-because it got mostly bad reviews. I wanted to see for myself just what was so bad about it. And the thing is, it really wasn’t that bad. Okay, the plot is pretty convoluted…SPOILER ALERT, look away if you don’t want to know…it’s about an airborne virus that makes people kill themselves, and the virus is being spread by trees and plants. Which, okay, that is silly, but not much more silly than the plot of most Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels. What I think the critics missed is the theme of the movie, which is about the marriage between the two main characters, and how the crisis brings them back together.

The Happening stars Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) as Elliott Moore, and Zooey Deschanel (Elf) as his wife Alma. John Leguizamo (Ice Age) is Elliott’s friend and coworker Julian. There’s also a wonderful performance by Betty Buckley (longtime actress, I remember watching her on “Eight is Enough”), and Spencer Breslin (The Santa Clause movies) also has a part. How all of these different characters react to the crisis, and how Elliot and Alma resolve their marital problems to work together is the real plot of this movie, and I think the critics missed that in their reviews.

The disc has a ton of extra features, and I have to say, I was impressed. I always watch bonus features, and The Happening really shows what goes on behind the scenes of making a film. It shows the actors rehearsing, doing retakes, setting up shots. If you are a fan of M. Knight Shymalan’s work (you know, The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable), don’t miss this movie.

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