DVD Release Reviews for November 3rd

Food, Inc. - A- (Gotta Rent)
Food, Inc. is a documentary that may do for Tyson products and other grocery meats what Super Size Me did for the fast food industry (more specifically McDonald’s. The harsh truths that Food, Inc. presents about the frozen food industry may make you think twice about buying those chicken nuggets, just like Super Size Me had a profound effect on McDonalds and the products that it offered. Like many of today’s documentaries, it does a great job at showing what goes on behind the scenes in the major corporations of the world. The facts aren’t exactly shocking considering everything that Who Killed the Electric Car, Maxed Out, and just about every other documentary of the 21st century has shown. Its one downfall is that it is very similar to Michael Moore’s documentaries in that it only shows one side of the argument. It makes all of the frozen food companies out to be evil corporations and that they have never done anything good. I’m not saying that they DO do anything good, however it would be nice to hear both sides of the argument.

G. I. Joe – B (Gotta Rent)
This is just another example of one of our childhood toys being made into a big budget action movie with no attention to the plot and all focus on how it looks. Just like Transformers, this presents some very cool and expensive action scenes with some very unique weaponry. The technology they come up with makes you believe some of the weapons could actually exist. The casting was much better than I expected. Channing Tatum and the rest of the Joes all play a very believable G. I. Joe. They try to tell you the background of a few of the characters, it seemed like they should have either done it for all of them or none of them. I think choosing just 2 of the characters and leaving the rest out to dry was a mistake. Overall it’s much better than I expected and definitely a guilty pleasure. The movie is pretty much just eye candy so don’t expect too much of a thinker. It is worth a rent, and you can expect a sequel due to the cliffhanger ending.


I Love You, Beth Cooper - B- (Wait for It)
I expect this to fall into the same category as films such as John Tucker Must Die and Fired Up. This will be a guilty pleasure for some, and hated by many. Its audience will definitely be pre-teens and teenagers. Hayden Panettiere plays the stuck-up wild child surprisingly well considering she comes across very sweet in her other roles. I felt like the main character was miscast. If someone like Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Mclovin from Superbad) or Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, Adventureland) would have been a much better choice. Paul Rust (the guy who does play him) is mostly just annoying rather than entertaining. The movie has its funny moments and is amusing at time. The rest of the time it’s just ridiculous and over the top. An example is Hayden’s boyfriend is an army man, who is supposed to be only 17, completely trashes Rust’s house and almost kills him, yet no one really cares. If you have teenagers get it for them, otherwise check it out if it’s a freebee.

Taking of Pelham 123 - B+ (Gotta Rent)
Pelham is a remake of a 1974 hostage drama starring Walter Mathau. It’s a good suspenseful thriller at times, however it has many unnecessary action scenes which detracts from its good elements. The film is obviously a Tony Scott film as the style of filming and scene transitions are almost identical to his 2 previous collaborations with Denzel Washington, Déjà vu and Man on Fire. The interactions between Denzel and Travolta were well done and kept you interested in what was going to happen. The random car chases and pointless accidents could have been removed completely. Also throughout the film Denzel is portrayed as a normal, calm and collected man (in fact Scott makes it a point that you know this). Yet towards the end he becomes more like his Man on Fire character who thinks he’s Rambo. I would say the movie is definitely worth a rent, but do not expect a masterpiece.