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Travolta, Washington are simply entertaining in new version of film
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Sunday, Nov 01, 2009
Maybe if there had been a line of Pelham 123 action figures, box-office history would have been different.
The third version of The Taking of Pelham 123, which starred Denzel Washington and John Travolta, was a reasonably entertaining and suspenseful film with more than its share of action. But its revenue was modest at best, and paled in comparison to more fantasy-driven — and toy-line-supported — productions like Trans-formers: Revenge of the Fallen (also on DVD and high-definition Blu-ray) and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (which arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday).
Not that Pelham is a model of realism. Travolta, as the leader of a team of bad guys holding a subway car full of passengers for ransom, is in his over-the-top Broken Arrow-Face/Off mode. And I thought the movie itself veered into exaggeration and implausibility. But Denzel Washington, as a subway dispatcher dealing with the crisis, coolly counterbalances Travolta both as a character and an actor. The interplay between the two is reasonably entertaining and the film moves along efficiently enough to be a good thrill ride.
The movie is being released on DVD ($28.96), Blu-ray ($39.95) and UMD for PlayStation Portables ($24.94). DVD and Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer Brian Helgeland and director Tony Scott, a making-of segment and a piece on marketing the film. The Blu-ray package adds a digital copy.
I had high hopes for The Answer Man, a romantic comedy from Magnolia Home Entertainment ($26.98 DVD, $34.98 Blu-ray). Though barely seen in theaters, it offers Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham, two actors who know how to play lovable vulnerability, and both are doing the best they can in the film.
The problem is in the script, and the overly cute presentation of the movie. Daniels plays a reclusive author who 20 years ago became wildly successful with Me and God, a book of answers to big questions. But there's nothing wise, or even pleasant, about Daniels off the printed page, and he has for the most part avoided the public. Graham, meanwhile, is a chiropractor who crosses paths with Daniels, with both their lives changing in the process. And there's a third key character, a bookstore operator played by Lou Taylor Pucci.
I wanted to like this movie. I tried. But it is too often trite and cutesy to be successful, and you can guess pretty much the entire ending about 10 minutes in.
Extras include featurettes about the making of the film and audio commentary by Graham, writer-director John Hindman and producer Kevin Messick.
Other DVD offerings this week include Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush (HBO Home Entertainment, $19.97). It's the HBO presentation of Ferrell's successful stage show, with extras including a true-false game about the former president, a digital copy and a making-of piece.
Imagine me holding up a boombox during this news: Say Anything: 20th Anniversary Edition arrives on DVD ($19.98) and Blu-ray ($34.99) on Tuesday, from Fox Home Entertainment. In addition to the movie, both versions include some new bonus material like a conversation with writer-director Cameron Crowe and a piece with celebrities explaining why they love this oddball love story.
The Blu-ray adds even more elements, including a trivia track with more than 200 questions.
Other Tuesday releases: Acclaimed director John Huston's last film, The Dead, was very much a family affair, with his daughter Anjelica in the cast and a script adapted by son Tony from the James Joyce story. It was also a well-regarded film, and one that will finally make it to DVD on Tuesday, more than 20 years after it was in theaters. No extras, but bargain-priced at $14.98 by Lionsgate.
Paramount wraps up its releases of the original Mission: Impossible series with the seventh and final season (22 episodes, six discs, $54.99).
Don't forget to look for more about recent DVD and Blu-ray offerings in my Tuesday online video at Ohio.com.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com, on Facebook and on Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Maybe if there had been a line of Pelham 123 action figures, box-office history would have been different.
The third version of The Taking of Pelham 123, which starred Denzel Washington and John Travolta, was a reasonably entertaining and suspenseful film with more than its share of action. But its revenue was modest at best, and paled in comparison to more fantasy-driven — and toy-line-supported — productions like Trans-formers: Revenge of the Fallen (also on DVD and high-definition Blu-ray) and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (which arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday).
Not that Pelham is a model of realism. Travolta, as the leader of a team of bad guys holding a subway car full of passengers for ransom, is in his over-the-top Broken Arrow-Face/Off mode. And I thought the movie itself veered into exaggeration and implausibility. But Denzel Washington, as a subway dispatcher dealing with the crisis, coolly counterbalances Travolta both as a character and an actor. The interplay between the two is reasonably entertaining and the film moves along efficiently enough to be a good thrill ride.
The movie is being released on DVD ($28.96), Blu-ray ($39.95) and UMD for PlayStation Portables ($24.94). DVD and Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer Brian Helgeland and director Tony Scott, a making-of segment and a piece on marketing the film. The Blu-ray package adds a digital copy.
I had high hopes for The Answer Man, a romantic comedy from Magnolia Home Entertainment ($26.98 DVD, $34.98 Blu-ray). Though barely seen in theaters, it offers Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham, two actors who know how to play lovable vulnerability, and both are doing the best they can in the film.
The problem is in the script, and the overly cute presentation of the movie. Daniels plays a reclusive author who 20 years ago became wildly successful with Me and God, a book of answers to big questions. But there's nothing wise, or even pleasant, about Daniels off the printed page, and he has for the most part avoided the public. Graham, meanwhile, is a chiropractor who crosses paths with Daniels, with both their lives changing in the process. And there's a third key character, a bookstore operator played by Lou Taylor Pucci.
I wanted to like this movie. I tried. But it is too often trite and cutesy to be successful, and you can guess pretty much the entire ending about 10 minutes in.
Extras include featurettes about the making of the film and audio commentary by Graham, writer-director John Hindman and producer Kevin Messick.
Other DVD offerings this week include Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush (HBO Home Entertainment, $19.97). It's the HBO presentation of Ferrell's successful stage show, with extras including a true-false game about the former president, a digital copy and a making-of piece.
Imagine me holding up a boombox during this news: Say Anything: 20th Anniversary Edition arrives on DVD ($19.98) and Blu-ray ($34.99) on Tuesday, from Fox Home Entertainment. In addition to the movie, both versions include some new bonus material like a conversation with writer-director Cameron Crowe and a piece with celebrities explaining why they love this oddball love story.
The Blu-ray adds even more elements, including a trivia track with more than 200 questions.
Other Tuesday releases: Acclaimed director John Huston's last film, The Dead, was very much a family affair, with his daughter Anjelica in the cast and a script adapted by son Tony from the James Joyce story. It was also a well-regarded film, and one that will finally make it to DVD on Tuesday, more than 20 years after it was in theaters. No extras, but bargain-priced at $14.98 by Lionsgate.
Paramount wraps up its releases of the original Mission: Impossible series with the seventh and final season (22 episodes, six discs, $54.99).
Don't forget to look for more about recent DVD and Blu-ray offerings in my Tuesday online video at Ohio.com.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com, on Facebook and on Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
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