Film:

So the spy kids are back, well kind of.  It seems that Carmen (Alexa Vega) is trapped inside of a video game and it is up to her brother Juni (Daryl Sabara) to rescue her.  Basically resembling something like Tron, this film involves kids participating in a very popular video game by literally inserting themselves into it.  Juni is tasked by his spy superiors to enter the game and find his sister as well as learn what else is really going on.

We soon find out that the man behind this video game and its possibly evil intentions is none other than the super-villain known as Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), who is bent on what I assume to be world domination.  As Juni makes his way through the various levels of the game, he is joined by other fellow gamers, as well as his grandfather (Ricardo Montalban).  While grandpa may be in a wheelchair in real life, this video game provides him with the means to act just as lively as anyone.  Juni and eventually Carmen will certainly need all the help that they can get, as this video game is full of deadly surprises.  Good thing it features co-op play.

Right away I knew I was in a bit of trouble with this film, as it begins with Daryl Sabara on his own, narrating the film.  I have previously expressed my lack of fondness for Sabara as a young actor, which has unfortunately carried over into this film as well.  He just can’t sell some of the emotion and actions required of his character.  It is not a matter of critiquing the acting of a film like this, but more a comment on how it seems so obvious that he is the wink link of a pretty strong cast.  Still, the film kind of benefits by continuing to have the rest of the cast from the previous films show up in small roles; however, this also leads to my next problem with the film.

As Robert Rodriguez decided to work almost entirely with digital sets (using a giant green screen to provide the location for almost everything), he was able to use all of the different actors at different times.  As a result, while it may look seamless, the film has a disjointed feel, which seems very apparent now, knowing that almost all of the adult actors were practically never working with each other during the shooting of the film.  It almost seems as if Rodriguez used this film as a test for his work on Sin City, which would employ the same process, but done so much more effectively.

The other big problem involves the story.  While Rodriguez has never been the strongest writer when it comes to plot or characters, his films always at least tended to have a zippy feel to everything.  The charm and imagination were big parts of what made the first two Spy Kids films so successfully entertaining.  Unfortunately, the story in this film is very repetitive and uninspired.  It has an ok starting premise that involves taking the characters inside a game, but once inside, nothing really comes together as exciting, as we simply watch Juni essentially try to accomplish the same task over and over again.  It doesn’t help that the design for this video game world looks ugly.  I can see the intention of resembling some kind of game in general, but this film ditches the wonderful, imaginative energy that was present in the other films and just looks…lame.

There are two things I have yet to address. The first is Stallone.  I have to say, I did not find him bad in this film, despite the almost-too-easy desire to really dig into him here.  He knows exactly what kind of film he is in and actually has fun in his role, which includes three other versions of his character’s personality, whom he can talk to, as he made them as digital projections to keep himself company.  The 3D is another issue.  While the film was originally released in 3D, that format has been stripped away from this Blu-ray release (including the title).  Still, while it is no longer in 3D, you can easily see how Rodriguez went with the gimmick by having his effects and actors constantly bursting towards the camera.  As a result, it now just looks kind of silly, but I guess that is fitting of the film.

I was saddened by how the good will created in the first two films was stripped away in this third entry.  It has basically killed my interest in going to see a fourth film in the Spy Kids saga.  All of the wit and humor that was present before is replaced by bad digital effects work, which may be quite colorful but has no real creative energy that had me wanting to see more.  The film ended up being the shortest, but actually felt like the longest.  I missed the presence of family this time around as well, as we are left with only a few key characters to follow, with other cast members only showing up towards the end.  At least Rodriguez finally managed to find a place for Salma Hayek…

Video: 

Now working with digital cameras, it would seem as if Rodriguez films and Blu-ray go hand and hand at this point.  The flick looks fantastic on Blu-ray.  While the effects are noticeable at times, in terms of how much green screen usage is at play, the film still looks incredibly bright and colorful throughout.  The disc does supply an AVC encoded 1080p transfer and it looks very good throughout.  While I can’t really come to terms with enjoying this movie, it is certainly a feast for the eyes in terms of seeing this video game world make way for a very colorful presentation.  It helps that the film does not have the darkness supplied by its theatrical 3D presentation as well.

Audio: 

Spy Kids 3 features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which is basically the best kind of track one would want for this film.  The various action scenes are all filled with a lot of crazy sound effects and the score provided by Rodriguez comes across great throughout.  I had practically no issues with the audio for this film, as I was able to register everything involved in the film, whether it is corny dialogue or crazy video game-like sounds.  A very good audio mix, further helping the presentation quality of the film overall.

Special Features: 

It is a bit irritating getting to this portion of the disc, as it has the one key feature that I love in all Robert Rodriguez special features sections: the 10-minute film school; however, all of the features are presented in SD quality.  There are still some decent featurettes present, but nothing that really stands out beyond the film school and commentary.  Special features include:

• Audio Commentary by Robert Rodriguez – Always a good speaker.
• Robert Rodriguez Ten-Minute Film School – The best feature on the disc, which is wrapped up early and manages to take a look at some of Rodriguez’s home movies with his kids.
• Alexa Vega in Concert
• The Making of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
• The Effect of the Game
• Making Tracks with Alexa Vega
• Surfing and Stunts (Multi-Angle)
• Big Dink, Little Dink – I actually admired this brief featurette, which has Bill Paxton explaining his son’s presence in the film and being a good dad.  A charming extra feature.
• Trailers
• Digital Copy Version of the Feature Film

Final Thoughts:

Unfortunately, the great vibe that ran through the first two entries in this film stops way short for the third film.  Spy Kids 3 would have been a much bigger disappointment if I did not already know, going in, that it was not regarded as a good movie.  Still, the movie is pretty lame, which is the best word to describe it.  The plot is uninspired, the imagination is sorely lacking this time around, and the mixed appearances of cast members really did not do the film much good, beyond seeing Ricardo Montalban having some fun, seeing George Clooney show up to do a Stallone impression, and having Salma Hayek be around in general.  A bad way to move this series along and Spy Kids 4 does not look to be changing anything for the better.  The picture and audio quality is quite spectacular however and there are some good extra features, so the Blu-ray disc is not a total loss; I just wish the film was better.

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Film:

This film starts out with its own James Bond-style mini-opening film, which has the Spy Kids, Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) helping save the President’s daughter at a newly opened theme park (ran by Bill Paxton in full cowboy mode).  While the Spy Kids are successful, their success is overshadowed by the other, snottier Spy Kids Gary and Gerti Giggles, who take all the credit for the rescue.  This all leads into the plot, which finds the Spy Kids embarking on a new mission that involves a mysterious invisible island.

The island is volcanic and populated by an imaginative set of creatures created by the misunderstood scientist Romero (Steve Buscemi).  On this bizarre island, none of the Cortez’s gadgets work and they must rely on their wits and each other to survive and save the day.  This will certainly be quite the task, as the island is filled with traps, skeletons, crazy creatures, and even the threat of some that the kids thought they could trust.  Meanwhile, the super spy parents (Antonio Banderas and the lovely Carla Gugino), worried for their children, do all they can to try and locate the island and find them.  They are joined by their own former spy parents (the Spy Kids’ grandparents, for those keeping track), played by Holland Taylor and Ricardo Montalban.  Once again, it may come down to having the family that spies together, stay together.

Given that the previous film combined the talents of a ton of different actors, usually seen in other Robert Rodriguez films, this film does have the benefit of maintaining almost that entire cast, while adding on a number of other great character actors into the fold.  As a result, the film certainly has a “greatest hits” sort of feel when it comes to having various actors pop up in small roles.  That being said, it also becomes apparent as to how the talent is shaping out for the young actors.  I think Alexa Vega does a good job at bringing a nice screen presence to her character.  Unfortunately, I don’t think Daryl Sabara has matured much as a young actor in this film, as most of his lines felt very flat.  Still, there is a level of charisma in seeing this duo on screen together, which I continued to enjoy.

Robert Rodriguez once again lets his imagination run wild and then some, now that he has switched over to filming with digital cameras.  The first film was already packed with special effects, but now Rodriguez fills the frame with colorful, creative energy throughout, and makes things even crazier than before.  Especially after watching some of the “making-ofs” about the production of this film, it is quite awesome to marvel at the way he manages to make such a seemingly big film out of partial sets, a minimal budget, and the use of his own imagination to make things work out for the best.

The story in this film is fairly familiar, although Rodriguez (who serves as the writer, among his many other credited roles in the film’s production) has decided to cram in references to plenty of other old stories and films, including the works of Ray Harryhausen (who has a cameo).  I particularly enjoy the way that Rodriguez manages to make the supposed “villains” of the film actually come off as misunderstood geniuses, as opposed to simply evil people.  He did it in the first film with Alan Cumming’s character and he does it again with Steve Buscemi’s character.  Add to that the continued self aware nature of this series, with lines like, “How do you know?” – “’Cause it’s big, weird, and in the middle of the room,” which lets the film have a playfully winking eye at everything.

Spy Kids 2 does run a bit too long.  As opposed to the first film, which was mean and lean, this sequel expands its scope a bit too much, but doesn’t get away with being as frequently entertaining and is almost too knowing at times.  Still, the film is another great family adventure film that is quite clever, funny, wonderfully good looking in terms of the imaginative creatures and set design, and quite fun in having plenty of recognizable actors pop up in places.  This may be the last “good” installment of the franchise, but it’s a very enjoyable one.

Video:

Now working with digital cameras, it would seem as if Rodriguez films and Blu-ray go hand and hand at this point.  The flick looks fantastic on Blu-ray and opposed to the previous installment, the sequel’s effects actually stand the test of time.  While the effects are noticeable at times, in terms of how much green screen usage is at play, the film still looks incredibly bright and colorful throughout.  The disc does supply an AVC encoded 1080p transfer and it looks very good throughout.  Rodriguez has made another live-action cartoon and this disc does a very good job of capturing that aspect through its video presentation.

Audio:

Spy Kids 2 features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which is basically the best kind of track one would want for this film.  The various action scenes are all filled with a lot of crazy sound effects and the score provided by Rodriguez and John Debney comes across great throughout.  I didn’t have a few issues this time around with the dialogue, as I did last time, which is a very good thing.  When the sound kicks into gear for the key scenes of this film, it all came out quite clear.  A very good audio mix, further helping the presentation quality of the film overall.

Special Features:

It is a bit irritating getting to this portion of the disc, as it has the one key feature that I love in all Robert Rodriguez special features sections: the 10-minute film school; however, all of the features are presented in SD quality.  There are still some decent featurettes present, but nothing that really stands out beyond the film school and commentary.  Special features include:

• Audio Commentary by Robert Rodriguez – Always a good speaker.
• Robert Rodriguez Ten-Minute Film School – The best feature on the disc.
• A New Kind of Stunt Kid
• Lost Scenes with Optional Director’s Commentary
• “Isle of Dreams” Music Video
• School at Big Bend National Park
• Essential Gear: The Gadgets of Spy Kids
• Behind-the-Scenes Montages
• “Total Access 24/7”: A Day in the Life of Spy Kids
• Trailers
• A Digital Copy of the film

Final Thoughts:

There is still a lot to be said for Robert Rodriguez and his ability to shift between very different types of projects.  While this sequel to his fun and fresh original take on a family-friendly action film may be a bit less inspired from some standpoints, Rodriguez still gets a chance to let his imagination run wild with inventive ideas.  This is a wonderfully lively adventure film, good for many to enjoy and filled with creative energy.  The disc is appropriately great as well, with stellar video and audio quality to properly represent the world that was created for this film.  A decent load of special features as well, with a couple big highlights.  Certainly worth your time as far as the first two entries in this series are concerned.

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Film:

The film stars Antonio Banderas and the lovely Carla Gugino as Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez, retired secret agents now trying to raise a family together.  They were once known as the greatest spies in the world, but upon being assigned to eliminate each other, they fell in love instead, leading to their current, humble life raising two children.  These children are Carmen and Juni (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara), who are unaware of their parents previous lives and mainly think of them as their loving, but uncool folks.

Meanwhile, it would appear that other famous spies around the world are disappearing, which leads Gregorio and Ingrid to be called back into action.  It would appear that the tech-wizard and children’s show host Flegan Floop (Alan Cumming) and his sidekick Minion (Tony Shalhoub) are somehow involved in these disappearances, but upon arriving at Floop’s castle, the parents are quickly captured.  Carmen and Juni are soon made aware of their parent’s actual roles as spies and put it upon themselves to try and rescue their parents.  Apparently being a spy runs in the family, as Carmen and Juni find that they are well up to the task, as they equip themselves with cool gadgets built by their uncle, Machete (Danny Trejo, obviously), and use the various forms of training and knowledge given to them by their parents.

I enjoy that this film is in fact a family film.  By that, I mean that this film is one that can actually be enjoyed by the whole family.  It is fun, clever in a lot of way, contains witty dialogue, and is full of colorful imagination.  While it is essentially an action film, it does not contain inappropriate violence or language even.  Spy Kids is a film that simply wants to entertain by being upbeat and smart about how it delves into its cheesy premise and writer/director Robert Rodriguez delivers in that way.

It was also interesting to see how Rodriguez managed to adapt his style of filmmaking for a family film like this.  Rodriguez has always been a very hands-on filmmaker, usually serving as his own editor (among other roles).  Here he served as his own visual effects supervisor, coming up with various ways to deliver on the high usage of digital effects in the film.  As a result, the film basically has a very economical way of looking quite large in scope.  As this film was originally released back in 2001, it is easy to see the ways that it dates itself now, but I still admire what was, in some ways, kind of revolutionary back then.  I have used the word “cheesy” a lot, which applies here, but in a good way.  This film has an incredibly creative energy flowing through it that wants to have fun with its story and not pay attention to caring about what is practical in a spy world such as this.

Instead of caring about the logistics of intricate spy plots and schemes, Spy Kids decides to have more fun playing around with the conventions of these types of films, while establishing itself within the genre.  As a result, the film is all the more entertaining.  It is not about taking things seriously, it is about having fun.  That said, I did also appreciate the Hispanic pride running throughout this movie as well.  It is not something that is called out, just noticeable in the way that you have a large cast that is not the typical variety of Caucasian leads seen so often in mainstream family features.  Given that this is a Rodriguez film that should be apparent anyway, but still a neat thing I wanted to point out.

I was not surprised to have enjoyed Spy Kids so much, but I was happy to finally watch it.  While I understand that the sequels tend to slide downward in quality, I can at least continue to appreciate the joy that Rodriguez, his cast, and his crew must have had in making these films.  It must have at least been a nice break in between some of the more hardcore films that he has made, although those films have just as much entertaining elements in a different sort of way.  Regardless, with so many “family films” that involve crude humor in some way, it was nice to watch one that felt so reassuring and positive, while packed with imaginative action.

Video:

As this film is heavily dependent on a bright color palette that runs throughout, given its heavy use of special effects, it is nice to see how clean this transfer looked.  The film has been nicely fitted with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer and looks great.  It should be noted that this was the final movie that Rodriguez shot with film stock, before switching over to digital (which he is now obsessed with), yet the movie still looks very good.  I mentioned that the effects do look a bit dated now, which is noticeable in how it looks on Blu-ray, but it is not really a fault of the actual transfer.  Overall, it is a good looking film from a man who makes slick looking flicks.

Audio:

Spy Kids features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which is basically the best kind of track one would want for this film.  The various action scenes are all filled with a lot of crazy sound effects and the score provided by Rodriguez and a host of collaborators (including Danny Elfman) comes across great throughout.  I did have a few issues with the dialogue in spots, as the mix at times made me address turning up the volume to hear people before adjusting for the loud-by-design sequences.  Still, when the sound kicks into gear for the key scenes of this film, it all came out quite clear.

Special Features:

There is a nice set of extra features included on this disc, as well as a digital copy of the film.  Best of all, the three most enjoyable features are all presented in HD.  Features include:

• Growing Up Spy Kids – A retrospective that takes a look back at the making of all three Spy Kids films.  It features interviews with almost everyone involved and details some of the early processes of Rodriguez as a filmmaker.
• Robert Rodriguez Ten-Minute Film School – Basically the highlight of any Robert Rodriguez film’s extra features.  As always, Rodriguez takes a fast, fun, and detailed look at the making of some aspect of his film in just about ten minutes.  In this feature, he explains a lot of the process that went into the making of the special effects for the film.
• Ten-Minute Cooking School – Another 10-minute feature, but this one details his process for making Texas-style grilled cheese sandwiches and health smoothies.  The guy makes movies and he can cook!
• Stunts Spy Kids Style – A look at the stunts and wire work performed by the young actors and featured in the film.
• Makeup Effects Featurette – Another look at the effects used in the making of this film.
• Trailers – They’re all in HD.
• Digital Copy – A second disc contains this copy of the film, which can be used for portable devices.

Final Thoughts:

Spy Kids is an enjoyable family film that deserves to be checked out by families wanting a fun spy film that is appropriate and exciting to watch.  It has a host of actors who are genuinely regulars in the more adult-oriented Robert Rodriguez films, but playing decidedly more accessible characters here.  It is also a film that manages to be a window into the colorful imagination of Rodriguez who fills the frames with clever creations and filmmaking techniques.  The Blu-ray is equally fitting, as it boasts a solid and colorful video transfer, clear sound, and a host of special features worth watching.

Order your copy here:

Film  

Say what you want to say, with or without the extra 18 minutes, there’s really no polite way to put it.  In my opinion, the film is still an utter mess.  I find myself saying this time and time again as of recent.  It’s amazing what Hollywood green lights nowadays.  Sucker Punch still is and will always be just a loud, rock music video, action ride.  That’s all it will ever be.  The extra 18 minutes does nothing to strengthen or make the film better.  The movie is pure eye candy and my score of 2.5 is simply for the entertainment value only.  That’s all there is for me.  It’s E-Y-E C-A-N-D-Y and nothing more.  Just like the Metallica song, it’s sad, but true.

Sucker Punch prominently features five onscreen beauties, Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung (who can forget that bubble bath scene in Sorority Row).  The supporting cast includes the likes of Oscar Isaac, Carla Gugino (a beauty in her own right), Jon Hamm and Scott Glenn.  The 2007 script, which was penned by Snyder and Steve Shibuya in only five months, was actually supposed to be produced before the Watchmen.  It is also rumored that Amanda Seyfried was once attached to Browning’s lead role.  Damn, that would have been nice!  On the flip side, the one other thing that I was very happy to learn was that Emma Stone was also offered the role, but ultimately did not get it.  Thank goodness.  There is a God!

Sucker Punch, by all means, is first and foremost an action/adventure film.  Now like most action/adventure films, just because there are plenty of non-stop zany antics and fight scenes doesn’t necessarily guarantee it will be a good movie.  It’s hard to go into detail without spoiling things too much so I will tread lightly here.  I wanted so much more here.  I really did.  I expected the feature to be deeper, psychologically speaking.  The extra 18 minutes was a bit deeper, but ultimately it still didn’t pay off.  However, the film’s opening was simply incredible (Browning’s cover of “Sweet Dreams” was haunting and just gorgeous), but things quickly fell apart for me when Baby Doll (Browning) goes into her dancing dream state.  Seriously?  Dancing?  The biggest problem I had was correlating how the other girls get sucked into her dream induced action sequences.  I want to say it’s all in Baby Doll’s head, but that does not explain why if certain characters were not on screen at the time before Baby Doll’s dancing dream, how they coincidentally were not in her particular action adventure either.  Does that make any sense?  Probably not, but you will understand what I’m talking about when you see it.  People can say what they want about Nolan’s Inception, but at least he did not fail to explain how multiple people were tied into each other’s dream sequences.   That’s all I got to say on the subject.  In my opinion, that huge plot hole is devastating, not to mention the creepy man (Scott Glenn) that appears everywhere too.  LOL.

Speaking of the plot, do we even really need to cover it here in this review?   Do you really want me to waste your time?  I have no problem doing so, but I’m just looking out for your well-being.  It’s just that it’s so absurd, I really feel stupid even talking about it.   Simply put, it’s the music, the girls and the action that shine here and truly nothing else.  The story is shite, the acting is wooden at times and the plot holes, as I already said before, are darn right unforgivable.  And for the love of God, as I will make a duplicate statement once again, can somebody please tell me where Scott Glenn’s character came from and how he just happened to be everywhere?  Please, I need help in understanding.  There’s no doubt that this film was an orgasmic feast of sight and sound, but the loud action sequences made no sense.  How do futuristic robots and spacecraft cohesively blended with a 1950′s storyline?  WTF?!

Video  

Combating the film’s disastrous plot comes a nearly impeccable 1080p AVC MPEG-4 codec gorgeously framed in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio.  Wow!  That’s the nicest thing I said in this review so far, huh?  I used the words nearly impeccable and gorgeous in the same sentence within this review.  Well thankfully folks, now that we are done talking about the movie itself, things are looking up here in these next three categories.  Other than the excessive use of CGI that seems to take away fine details here and there momentarily, I have no other qualms with this video presentation.  The blacks are all inky and deep.  The skin tones all look normal.  The colors and shadows that hide the colors flourish throughout.  And not that you would expect it from something this new, but it’s my duty to report on any and all areas in regards to the video quality and I’m pleased to announce…there’s not a speckle of dirt is to be found on this print.  I had you going there for a minute, huh?  Admit it.  Overall, it’s what you would expect from a Warner Bros. Blu-ray.  Fans of the Watchmen Blu-ray will be equally excited about how this one looks.

Audio  

The video presentation is one thing, but the Blu-ray gets its revenge on the less than desired plot with this aggressive, in-your-face DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track.   This one will rock your house when played at your normal operating levels.   Be prepared to be shell-shocked!   Paint will peel off the walls.  Okay, all kidding aside, things sound fantastic here.  Every punch, dragon roar, explosive device and zinging bullet self-destructs in fury all around you.   In the case of Sucker Punch on Blu-ray, the chaos is a good thing in the audio department…a very good thing.   The rear speakers work overtime as if they were trying to compete with the bombastic bass.   But who’s kidding whom here.   The bass will win in a fight anytime.  The rock song selections, as I mentioned earlier, are what make this track so dynamic and exciting for me on so many levels.  And oh yeah, the voices, even the faintest of whispers, are audibly heard over the most destructive of scenes.   P-E-R-F-E-C-T!  Kudos to Warner Bros. for this exceptional presentation.   This is nothing short of reference.  Trust me.

Special Features  

Although it may not look like much in print, the Special Features department on the Sucker Punch Blu-ray set really packs quite a punch, unlike the movie.  I apologize.  Needless to say, I can’t stop taking jabs at the film.  Ha ha.  I said “jabs.”  Okay, I really have to stop.  I promise.  Let’s take a closer look at what’s spread across this three-disc set.  But before, we begin…I know you’re hating me right now, I need to tell you that the 110-minute PG-13 rated theatrical cut is housed on the first Blu-ray disc, while the not quite superior 128-minute R-rated cut is found on the second Blu-ray disc.  Okay, now that we have that all cleared up, we are good to go.

• Extended Cut: Maximum Movie Mode (Disc 2, HD 128 mins.) – This is the reason we are all here folks.  This is why this shallow Special Features department gets the score it does from me.  It took me awhile to get through this, not because I hated the movie, but because I savored every minute of this.  Zack Snyder breaks it all down for you here in this seamless Picture-in-Picture playground.  Go behind-the-scenes, see CG action sequences, catch casting sessions and much more.  There is a wealth of knowledge to take in here.  Breathe slowly, and let it all sink in.  This is the stuff that aspiring film disciples of Snyder will want to see.  Like I asked of you in the audio section, trust me!
• Sucker Punch: Animated Shorts (Disc 1, HD, 11 mins.) – These are 4 motion comics that feature a back-story to the action packed environment seen within the film.  There’s nothing too special here.
• Behind the Soundtrack (Disc 1, HD, 3 mins.) – This one I approve. Here’s a brief look at Snyder with composers Tyler NBates and Marius De Vries and the music of Sucker Punch (the soundtrack is heaven to my ears).
• Digital Copy – A third DVD disc in the set is home to the standard definition, theatrical cut of the film that you can put on your portable devices, most notably the iPad and iPhone, but of course!
• BD-Live Functionality

Final Thoughts  

I only liked Sucker Punch for the action, the girls and the music, basically, for all the wrong reasons.  There’s not much really here folks except a wild MTV music video set to a pretty divine soundtrack (interestingly enough…much of the cast lends their vocal talent to it).  It’s shallow and dense and unlike Shallow Hal, there’s no real story worth telling here.  It could have been and should have been so much more.  Oh Superman…I’m really scared for your safety and concerned over your intellectual property.  Here’s hoping Mr. Snyder doesn’t cripple you yet again with kryponite.  So heed my warnings and proceed with caution when thinking about purchasing this one.  Sucker Punch is not for captive audiences…. brain dead, maybe, but definitely not captive.   Despite the near reference video, the bombastic audio surround track and the Maximum Movie Mode that dreams are made of, this one I’m afraid is nothing more than a rental.  Proceed with extreme caution.  This transmission is over.

Wait!  Hold up!  You thought you heard the last of me, huh?  Not so fast!  Just for the record…I just came back from the press screening of Transformers: Dark of the Moon and I will say this about it.  That film had more violence in it than this so called rated R-cut of Sucker Punch.  I’m just saying.  Don’t be fooled by the rocks!  That’s J-Lo.  Peace out!

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Just in time for the new theatrical film Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World releasing in 3-D nationwide on August 19, 2011, – Lionsgate will debut the three Miramax films that started it all on Blu-ray Disc -Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3: Game Over - in the beginning of August. These three titles are presented for the very first time in 1080P High Definition and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Directed by Robert Rodriguez (The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl, Sin City), the films feature  star-studded casts that include Antonio Banderas (Desperado), Alexa Vega (Twister) and Carla Gugino (Sucker Punch) and feature guest appearances by Teri Hatcher (TV’s “Desperate Housewives”), Steve Buscemi (Big Fish), Sylvester Stallone (Rocky), Salma Hayek (Frida), Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy) and Cheech Marin (Cars).  Combined, these family films grossed more than $460 million worldwide. In addition, all three releases come packed with fun special features that kids will love including the “10-Minute Film School,” deleted scenes and  multiple featurettes.  Each Blu-ray Disc premiere will include a digital copy of the film.

Spy Kids

Masters of disguise, innovators of invention, and superstars of sleuthing, Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid (Carla Gugino) are the best secret agents on Earth. Working for rival nations, they are sent to kill each other but instead fall in love. Now proud parents, they are called back to duty nine years later when their former colleagues start vanishing one by one thanks to evil genius Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming). But when they too disappear, there are only two people in the world who can rescue them…their kids! This high-octane adventure from director Robert Rodriguez is a must-see for everyone in the family.

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

The pint-sized spy siblings are back in action! Having joined the family spy business, Juni (Daryl Sabara) and Carmen (Alexa Vega) rise up to save the planet from a mad scientist (Steve Buscemi) living on a remote island populated by all kinds of dangerous, crazy creatures. As this bizarre environment wreaks havoc on their gadgets, the Spy Kids must rely on their smarts – and each other – to save the day!

Spy Kids 3: Game Over

The Spy Kids have entered a new dimension that will test their abilities like never before! Under-age agents Juni (Sabara) and Carmen (Vega) embark on their most mind-blowing mission yet: journeying inside a virtual-reality video game world designed to disorient them. Relying on their bravery, cool gadgets, lightning-quick reflexes – and, most importantly, their family – the Spy Kids must battle through level after level of the game as they race against the clock to save the world yet again from a new megalomaniacal villain, the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone).

Sucker Punch prominently features five onscreen beauties, Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung (who can forget that bubble bath scene in Sorority Row).  The supporting cast includes the likes of Oscar Isaac, Carla Gugino (a beauty in her own right), Jon Hamm and Scott Glenn.  The 2007 script, which was penned by Snyder and Steve Shibuya in only five months, was actually supposed to be produced before the Watchmen.  It is also rumored that Amanda Seyfried was once attached to Browning’s lead role.  Damn, that would have been nice!  Look at me.  I’m a Seyfried fan over night.  Too funny!  On the flip side, the one other thing that I was very happy to read was that Emma Stone was also offered the role, but ultimately did not get it.  Thank goodness.  There is a God!

Alright, that’s enough about the history and my initial gut, raw and instinctual feelings about the production of Sucker Punch.  So the reason we are all gathered here today is to find out what I thought of the film.   I mean that’s what really matters, right?  Well, here goes nothing.  As amateurish as this sounds, I am going to recycle my friend’s term from my Tourist review, several months ago, when I say this movie was only “meh.”  So what happened?  Perhaps another viewing is needed to precisely dissect its failures or maybe the initial hype was just too much to live up to, but nevertheless, I think I can put my personal feelings aside and accurately speak on the topic.

Sucker Punch, by all means, is first and foremost an action/adventure film.  Now like most action/adventure films, just because there are plenty of non-stop zany antics and fight scenes doesn’t necessarily guarantee it will be a good movie.  It’s hard to go into detail without spoiling things too much so I will tread lightly here.  I wanted so much more here.  I really did.  I expected the feature to be deeper, psychologically speaking.  The film’s opening was simply incredible (Browning’s cover of “Sweet Dreams” was haunting and just gourgeous), but things quickly fell apart for me when Baby Doll (Browning) goes into her dancing dream state.  Seriously?  Dancing?  The biggest problem I had was correlating how the other girls get sucked into her dream induced action sequences.  I want to say it’s all in Baby Doll’s head, but that does not explain why if certain characters were not on screen at the time before Baby Doll’s dancing dream, how they coincidentally were not in her particular action adventure either.  Does that make any sense?  Probably not, but you will understand what I’m talking about when you see it.  People can say what they want about Nolan’s Inception, but at least he did not fail to explain how multiple people were tied into each other’s dream sequences.   That’s all I got to say on the subject.  Thinking back to Thursday night’s press screening, that huge plot hole still does not sit well with me.  It’s devastating!

Speaking of the plot, do we even really need to cover it here in this review?   Do you really want me to waste your time?  I have no problem doing so, but I’m just looking out for your well-being.  It’s just that it’s so absurd, I really feel stupid even talking about it.   Simply put, it’s the music, the girls and the action that shine here and truly nothing else.  The story is ridiculous, the acting is wooden at times and the plot holes are just flat out unforgivable.  Can somebody please tell me where Scott Glenn’s character came from and how he just happened to be everywhere?  Please, I need help in understanding.  And where the hell did all the snow come from?!  There’s no doubt that this film was an orgasmic feast of sight and sound, but the loud action sequences made no sense.  I think fellow reviewer Aaron Neuwirth said it best when he questioned how futuristic robots and spacecraft cohesively blended with a 1950′s storyline (see his review here).  WTF?!

If presented with the opportunity, I would not mind giving this one a second chance and spin on the Blu-ray format, but in no way can I ever recommend you plop your hard earned cash down on this one in the theater.   I only liked Sucker Punch for the action, the girls and the music, basically, for all the wrong reasons.  There’s not much really here folks except a wild MTV music video set to a pretty divine soundtrack (interestingly enough…much of the cast lends their vocal talent to it).  It’s shallow and dense and unlike Shallow Hal, there’s no real story worth telling here.  It could have been and should have been so much more.  Oh Superman…I’m really scared for your safety and concerned over your intellectual property.  Here’s hoping Mr. Snyder doesn’t cripple you yet again with kryponite.  So heed my warnings and proceed with caution when traveling to the theater.  Sucker Punch is not for captive audiences…. brain dead, maybe, but definitely not captive.   And as Dan Gilbert said when Lebron James left, “You can take that to the bank and cash it.”

By the way…if you do want to read a quick recap of what this film is all about…check out Aaron’s full review here.  As you can tell, I was wrong.  I seemingly can’t put aside my personal feelings here.  I’m terribly affected by how disappointed I was in this movie.  And I apologize for the brevity of this review.  It will never happen again.  Ugh!

The only thing worth mentioning here…

Madam Gorski:  You’re safe.  You are all safe.  What you are imagining right now, that place can be as real as any pain.  Don’t be afraid, you have all the weapons you need.

Plot time, so bear with me:  Set in the 1950s, a teenage girl, later referred to as Baby Doll (played by Emily Browning), has just lost her mother.  In the will, everything has apparently been left to Baby Doll and her young sister, which does not sit well with their stepfather.  After a brief scuffle, the wicked stepfather has Baby Doll locked away in a mental asylum, and sees to it that she well be lobotomized in 5 days time.  This setup is all handled in a mostly dialogue-free sequence, with a reimagining of The Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dream” playing loudly on the soundtrack.

Once in the asylum, Baby Doll meets the rest of the main characters, including four other female inmates: the sassy Rocket (Jena Malone), tough but reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), loyal Amber (Jamie Chung), and Vanessa Hudgens as Blondie (nothing was distinguishable enough about her to describe).  Rounding out the cast, there is also Oscar Isaac as the evil orderly, Blue, and Carla Gugino as Madam Gorski, the asylum’s psychiatrist.  The asylum remains the overall setting, but Baby Doll soon reimagines the facility as a dance theater/brothel, where she imagines the girls to all be struggling dancers forced to create enticing routines to please their…employers.

That’s not all though, since some kind of objective is needed for this story, when forced to dance, Baby Doll suddenly reimagines her already reimagined world as a fantasy world where she discovers a wise man (played by Scott Glenn), who informs her of how to escape.  Baby Doll is given the task of retrieving several items, which will allow her to break free from her captors.  With the help of her female cohorts, Baby Doll leads her Fox Force Five team through various battles with creatures and enemies, hoping to use their newly gained gun-toting/samurai warrior skills in an effort to succeed before it is too late.

A couple weeks ago, I described the film Battle: Los Angeles as one that would be better watched if you brought a video game controller with you.  Sucker Punch requires both a video game controller and the game’s instruction manual.  If it were not for the trailer (seen so frequently, it’s been ingrained in my mind), I do not think I would be able to accurately describe the plot of this film, as the storytelling is, at times, incoherent and at other times just plain poor.  As the film’s tagline suggest, you may literally be unprepared if you were to walk into this movie with no knowledge of its premise.

Director Zack Snyder has stumbled here.  Up until this point he has not let me down.  Snyder previously directed the surprisingly solid (and action heavy) remake of Dawn of the Dead, the epically macho comic adaptation, 300, and took on adapting the Holy Grail of graphic novels, Watchmen.  He even managed to turn the preposterously titled Legend of the Guarians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole into a great-looking children’s film adaptation.  “Adapting” is definitely a key phrase in all of this.  All of these previous films were based off of previously written materials.  For Sucker Punch, Snyder has taken his first stab at working on a story that he has developed on his own (with the help of co-writer Steve Shibuya).  Unfortunately, Snyder’s keen eye for visual filmmaking has not lent itself over to his eye for screenwriting.

After seeing the trailer that introduced audiences to the idea that these girls would be imagining fantasy worlds in an effort to help them escape a mental asylum (sentences like these are why I enjoy writing), I speculated quite often to myself and friends about what this movie would be like if it ditched the fantasy element, and just functioned as a Zack Snyder-directed, prison escape movie, still featuring hot girls of course.  I am not sure what that movie would have looked like, but it probably could have still been better than Sucker Punch.  Beyond getting past the basic logistics of what is going on in the “real world” while Baby Doll does her dance (we never see her dancing, by the way), what goes on in these fantasy worlds is ridiculous.  I say ridiculous while also understanding that the stylized nature is obviously key to this film.  Instead, I am referring to what is being imagined.  The film is set in the 1950s, yet Baby Doll has the most detailed and futuristic imagination regarding guns, vehicles, robots, and various other fantastical elements.  The film just throws us into these places, with no setup as to what the relation is with these environments to any of the characters.

Speaking of characters, from an actor’s standpoint, there were not many highlights.  Browning’s Baby Doll is pretty lifeless.  We learn practically nothing about her, as a character, but at least get the idea that she is good with a sword.  The other girls accomplish little, with only Cornish and Malone standing out as people with the chops to deliver more than what the script is able to give them.  Carla Gugino gets points too, even with her Eastern European accent, as I am just fond of her in general.  It is also worth noting that Jon Hamm shows up for all of three minutes as the doctor who is the go-to guy for lobotomies, and nails each minute he unfortunately has to waste here.  Finally, Scott Glenn’s role as Obi Wan Exposition is just weird, the guy literally shows up out of nowhere in Baby Doll’s mind.

I also feel I was pushed around by what this film wanted to say in the end.  The thought of girls kicking ass is supposed to be cool, sure; but the film has the mindset of the ultimate teenage boy fantasy, with notions that suggest more misogynist qualities than girl power.  We are also supplied with some opening and closing narration that should have, I guess, explained something about what was seen, but I feel I have gained no further insight.  The PG-13 rating also puts this film in a place that shies away from getting into any territory that feels more threatening.  It is only in the final act of the film that the plot attempts to resemble something more substantial, and actually tries to raise the stakes, but I was already too far gone at this point to really care.

I can try to praise a few aspects.  Zack Snyder does work well with visuals.  Despite the bizarre nature of all of these girls having natural talent as brilliant warriors without the film making us feel as if they are ever in any real peril, the action is staged in a frantic and kinetic way, which would better serve the film if there weren’t so many of these scenes.  Snyder gets in his quota of cool moments, which includes plenty of elaborately staged shots, slo-mo ramp ups, and other neat flourishes.  Visual effects have seemed to come easy to Snyder, as these bizarre worlds he has created at least look interesting and blend the actors well into the CGI.  The soundtrack is a mix of some neat choices of reimagined songs, mixed with some that were way too on the nose.  In the end of all this, I certainly feel that Snyder knows how to assemble a film well enough, but communicating the story this time around did not come as easily.

I have to say, leading up to this film, I was in fact prepared for these sub-par results.  While many swelled with anticipation, I was initially put off by the game-like, objective-based layout that made up the plot of this film.  Even so, I had enough faith in Snyder, as a director, to hopefully deliver.  Alas, those hopes were not met.  While there are several art galleries worth of spectacular visuals, it means nothing in regards to this poorly handled story, that has very little substance.  There is certainly ambition present here, but the film is all flash.  The worlds created are both weird and creative, but seem to emerge out of nowhere, which is where I was taken in this film – it brought me nowhere and I feel I have gained nothing.  I do not think it is a disaster (if you want to see a big budget, studio disaster from a talented visual director: I direct you to Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender or worse – Lady in the Water), but I do think many marks were missed in this creative but very flawed film.

The Wiseman:  Don’t go writing a check with your mouth that you can’t cash with your ass.

PRESS RELEASE: CULVER CITY, CALIF. (January 18, 2011) – Dwayne Johnson (The Other Guys, Gridiron Gang) returns to the action genre with the adrenaline-charged thriller Faster, debuting on Blu-ray™ and DVD March 1st from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. After 10 years in prison, Driver (Johnson) is now a free man with a single focus – hunting down the people responsible for brutally murdering his brother. The action-packed film also stars Academy Award® winner Billy Bob Thornton (Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Sling Blade, 1996), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Going the Distance), Maggie Grace (Knight and Day, TV’s “Lost”), Carla Gugino (Watchmen, TV’s “Entourage”) and Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation). The DVD and Blu-ray bonus material includes deleted scenes and an alternate ending introduced by Director George Tillman, Jr. The Blu-ray exclusive materials include Animatics and the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Weapons and Wheels: The Guns, Cars and Stunts of Faster” and “Criminal and Cops: The Cast ofFaster.” Faster will be available on Blu-ray™ for $34.95 SRP and on DVD for $24.96 SRP.

SYNOPSIS: After 10 years in prison, Driver (Dwayne Johnson) has a singular focus – to avenge murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his imprisonment. Now a free man with a deadly to-do list in hand, he’s finally on his mission … but with two men on his trail – a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) just days from retirement, and a young egocentric hitman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) with a flair for the art of killing and a newfound worthy opponent. The hunter is also the hunted. It’s a do or die race to the list’s finish as the mystery surrounding his brother’s murder deepens, and new details emerge along the way hinting that the Driver’s list may be incomplete.

Directed by George Tillman, Jr. (Notorious, Men of Honor, Soul Food) from a screenplay by Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton. Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Tony Gayton, and Robert Teitel produced, with Joe Gayton and Dara Weintraub acting as executive producers.

DVD and Blu-ray Bonus Features Include:

• Alternate Ending with Director’s Introduction

• Deleted Scenes with Director’s Introductions

Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Features Include:

• “Weapons and Wheels: The Guns, Cars and Stunts of Faster” Featurette

• “Criminal and Cops: The Cast of Faster” Featurette

• Animatics

• MovieIQ

Faster has a runtime of approximately 98 minutes and is rated R for strong violence, some drug use and language.

Pre-Order Faster on Blu-ray Today!

Driver:  I’m going to kill all of you.

Johnson stars as Driver, a man who is just now getting out of prison after serving a ten year sentence.  Following a random Tom Berenger cameo, basically telling Driver to be a good boy, Driver heads out into the free world with nothing but his muscles and tattoos.  We know nothing of this man except that he is clearly angry.  The first thing Driver does is run and run and run, until he arrives at a junk yard and quickly finds a 1970 Chevelle with a gun in the glove compartment.  Driver picks up a list of names from a gangster played by Mike Epps and sets out on his journey.  First stop:  a random telemarketer office, where Driver walks up to a man who recognizes him and blasts a hole through his head.  Now we are sure that Driver means business.

Meanwhile, Billy Bob Thorton, playing a heroin addicted cop (Thorton’s name in this film is “Cop” by the way), with marriage problems, is soon involved with the murder investigation along with another detective, played by Carla Gugino.  The police are initially baffled by the situation, but soon put the pieces together, realizing that Driver is most likely looking to kill all the people involved in the murder of his brother ten years ago.  As we learn, Driver and his bro were a part of a gang of bank robbers and someone sold them out, leading to a rival crew killing Driver’s bro, taking the money, and shooting Driver in the back of the head.  Fortunately, Driver’s head is super meat-head strong, which means the bullet ricocheted and Driver lived.  This is bad news for those who were responsible.

There is also one more plot involving Killer, played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who is a British extreme sports enthusiast, with a penchant for contract killing (Killer has a The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly ring-tone as well, just to make sure we all get the movie’s “in-joke”).  He is seemingly perfect, his girlfriend is Maggie Grace, and he has basically everything he wants, presumably from working hard all his life.  So of course Killer is hired to kill Driver, misses the first time around, and desperately needs to prove himself by continuing to go after him.  All of his scenes basically serve as a way to make me annoyed that there is not more of The Rock being bad-ass.

I have stated already that this film wants to be gritty.  I think that is important to note, because this film has clearly been designed to evoke the feel of a 70s revenge flick such as Death Wish or Point Blank.  It of course mixes that feel with today’s filmmaking sensibilities, by having fast edited car chases and quick-cut gun fights.  The problem I see with this is that it is not handled well enough.  The film does not go far enough with what it sets out to do.  The opening of this film is handled very well and perfectly gets across a particular tone.  The rest of the film feels more like it is trying to reach a certain style goal, but does not quite achieve it.  It has plenty of factors to help, such as soundtrack choice, certain camera shots, and even basic set and costume design, but the film still feels more like its mimicking a style than it is paying homage.

I also can’t say that the action was particularly great.  Nothing really stands out in a film about a man going around and killing people, while being chased by a hit man.  One would think this could naturally lead to some interesting action sequences, but beyond a couple silly car chases, this is not a film that will be features in an action highlight reel.

What does work is the fact that I do not have any need to question the film’s main premise.  It is ridiculous that any of the things that occur in this film occur in the way that they do, but I was on board with Driver’s quest for revenge.  I can easily credit this to Mr. Dwayne Johnson.  Some may think there is not much to a tough-guy action role beyond having a big guy fill the role, but Johnson has the natural screen presence, which makes for a likable film.  Even in a role that requires him to say very little and pretty much murder people over and over, I can still say that it is The Rock’s presence that sells this role.

Unfortunately, what the film has in screen presence provided by its lead role, it wastes in its supporting roles and expanded plot devices.  As much as I like Thorton, he still seems to be in Bad Santa mode, as opposed to trying something new.  However, Thorton is at least solid at doing his thing; the main offender of this film is Jackson-Cohen’s role as Killer.  Every time he’s on screen, I just did not care.  It is not his fault, his performance is fine enough, but the role distracts from Driver to provide us with an additional character that feels very unnecessary.  This movie should have been meaner and leaner…faster.

There are a lot of good pieces in this film.  I am a fan of seeing Dwayne Johnson drive muscle cars, beat up people, and shooting bad guys, and this film gave me that.  I also like a part of the concept that I wish was explored more:  Driver has gotten out of jail ten years later and the people he wants to kill are now ten years older, which leads to some interesting ideas about how these men have changed.  Of course, this film is more interested in having its ridiculous premise and predictable plot, leading to macho dialogue and action, which is fine; I just wish it was either more invested in really delivering on its style or that it did a better job at keeping it story focused on Driver.

Driver:  God can’t save you from me.

I’m going to do something I’ve probably never done before in a film review; I’m going to spoil away.  This is actually to help you, not ruin the film for you.  Faster’s creators already took care of the latter part for you.  The only thing getting spoiled by reading this review and then going to see the movie is your money.  Dwayne Johnson plays a character whose name is never revealed.  The credits simply refer to him as “Driver.”  I know, creative as hell, isn’t it?  Billy Bob Thornton plays a drug addict cop known as, buckle up for this one, “Cop.”  I guess I should be thankful no one played a gynecologist.

Driver completes his prison sentence and runs aimlessly through the desert where he finds one Chevy Chevelle SS, complete with loaded revolver that was planted for him.  He’s got a bloodthirsty look in his eyes as he sets his sights on taking out all the guys involved in killing his brother.  You see, Driver was a driver (imagine that!) for a bank heist that his brother was part of.  They escaped the cops, but not another gang.  The conflicting baddies take out Driver’s brother and Driver (or so they thought) in close quarters cold-blooded fashion.  Praise the Lord for ricochets!  The bullet actually went through the back of Driver’s head and out his cheek bone!  Ta-da!  I couldn’t be happier for bank robbers everywhere.

Billy Bob roams through this pointless family subplot where he’s trying to resurrect a failed marriage, renew time with his young son, and kick his drug habit.  The narcotic vice fit into the overall story, but everything else was shoved into an otherwise anemic script.  Enter the British software mogul who transforms from nerd to yoga master hitman, hired by Billy Bob, or should I say Cop, whose duty is to intercept and kill Driver.  People get shot, Gugino gets lost in the background, and bad guys plead for mercy.  Meanwhile, Johnson maintains an expression throughout the film of a diarrhea victim who just ran out of Imodium.

I nodded off twice during this movie and it wasn’t from a hard day’s work.  This movie stunk.  It certainly wasn’t as bad as Jonah Hex, but it easily makes my top ten list for 2010…of the year’s worst movies. It had a well-thought out aspect here and there, but ultimately their importance paled in comparison to the overshadowing negatives.  The story is blah, the acting is unimpressive, but the credits looked great when they started scrolling up the screen at the end.  Man, whoever was in charge of that should get a paycheck or something.

The famous director was kneeling right in front of me during the trailer.

Film 

The movie follows an array of characters and their real life troubles and somehow, in a connected turn of events, each turbulent occurrence has a connection to the next.  From a cheating husband and his suicidal mistress to a pregnant porn star stuck in an elevator, this movie is a chick flick through and through.  Some people get offended by that phrase, but what can I say?  Stereotypes happen for a reason and women will relate a lot more to this film than the guys will.  It is what it is.

The acting is performed quite well in this picture so there are no qualms there.  I found the flow somewhat choppy at times though, but if you bear with it, you will come to understand that everything in the movie has its place.  Still, I had a difficult time caring about the characters’ plights.  The development was only surface-deep at best for some of the people, which left me feeling rather unsympathetic toward them.  As for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I loved this guy’s work in 500 Days of Summer which has come to be one of my favorite films.  As for his duty in Women in Trouble, I honestly cannot comment.  Why?  I checked the credits and found he is connected to the character ‘Bert Rodriguez.’  I have no recollection of his performance or that character in this movie…and I just watched it an hour ago.  Either he is on and off the screen in the blink of an eye or his makeup is done so well that his likeness was unrecognizable. 

The film mostly follows Carla Gugino’s character (Elektra Luxx; look for a sequel this year whose title reflects the character’s namesake) and that of Palicki’s (Holly Rocket), though, as previously mentioned, there are other stories all taking place around the same time, all having an impact on most if not all the characters in a classic case of six degrees of separation.  All in all, this 95-minute production felt more like 120 minutes that just wouldn’t end soon enough.  It has its high points, but this movie lacked punch, and while containing some depth, just didn’t have enough to keep me glued to the screen.

Video 

Coming in with an AVC encode in 1080p, I was a little disappointed that those attributes didn’t deliver a more solid picture.  While I didn’t pick up on a significant amount of grain, there was this gentle haze that prevented full pore-revealing details to be visible throughout the entire movie.  The aspect ratio is shown at 2.35:1, although the visual softness provided enough distraction to keep your eyes from focusing on this attribute.  Other than that, the film’s variety of colors were vibrantly displayed amidst a backdrop of several mood-changing scenes.

Audio 

Arguably the greatest aspect of this disc is the audio.  While it won’t knock your socks off, it is impressive when it needs to be.  This was most prevalent during one sequence when a commotion could be heard downstairs.  The rear speakers brought forth the somewhat mumbled unrest in the lower floor of the home while the two actresses upstairs had dialogue delivered through the front channels.  Ambient sounds are also brilliantly sent through the rear channels, filling the air with noises appropriate for the scene at hand.  As for the subwoofer, expect that piece of equipment to lie rather dormant.

Special Features      

I am happy to report that high def technology is not wasted on the folks that put this disc together.  Each special feature comes to us in at least 720 resolution (the pool teaser), while the rest are in 1080.  Still, there’s not a lot here, nor anything too inspiring.

• Behind the Scenes with Holly Rocket and Elektra Luxx –  Gugino (Luxx) and Palicki (Rocket) take time to do a mock discussion of what Women in Trouble is about.  This did have some fairly decent comedic content, but was way too short (1:48). 
• Pool Teaser Trailer – The actresses of Women in Trouble disrobe down to their underwear in a swimming pool.  Are they hot?  Yes.  Is this entertaining?  Not for long (1:06).
• Deleted Scenes – You will find a total of five missing scenes here, all done in a therapy monologue style, all of which make me want to slam my head against a wall.  These are mock video recordings of real Hollywood personalities (6:42).

Final Thoughts 

In the end, this writer wasn’t entertained much from this production.  I did want to mention the extremely poor color choice used in the disc’s menu.  The fonts are done in white with a selected item appearing in faint pink.  The problem is the two colors are so close that it’s often difficult to decipher what menu option is highlighted and what is not.  I understand their pink went with the color scheme, but it also provided a minor and needless bit of frustration that can be easily removed.  To women I say ‘rent this,’ and to the guys I say ‘pass.’  Since there are more women than men in the world, I probably should base my recommendation off the former instead of the latter.  I just think that there are so many better movies out there than Women in Trouble for any audience, that this may not be the best decision for a rental.  Nevertheless, if your curiosity is peaked, I say have at it. 

Bring home the Screen Media Films Blu-ray today!

Pre-order Women in Trouble on Blu-ray today!

Written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez (Snakes on a Plane, The Eye), this critically acclaimed film follows a day in the life of a porn star, a flight attendant, a psychiatrist, a masseuse, a bartender and a pair of call girls — all with one thing in common: trouble. While this group of LA women couldn’t be more different, one day will transform their troubles and alter their lives forever. Women in Trouble boasts a knockout ensemble cast including Carla Gugino (Watchmen, American Gangster, Sin City), Emmanuelle Chriqui (You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Cadillac Records, “Entourage”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer, 10 Things I Hate About You), Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”, “Spin City”, The Brothers McMullen), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”, The Devil Wears Prada), Adrianne Palicki (“Friday Night Lights”, “South Beach”), Elizabeth Berkeley (Any Given Sunday, Showgirls, “Saved by the Bell”) and Marley Shelton (A Perfect Getaway, W., Grindhouse, The Last Kiss).
 
Debuting at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival, Women in Trouble garnered resounding critical acclaim including Playboy hailing the saucy movie as “hilarious, touching and revelatory”. Bonus features on this outrageous comedy include deleted scenes, teaser trailers and Spanish subtitles.