Digital Divide: March 2011
Due Date
Warner Home Video
Funny thing about career revivals — one gets the impression that they can do no wrong. As a result, the actor in question will take roles that perhaps they should have been warned against.
Such is the situation with Robert Downey Jr. Having pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks in recent memory, he seems to have forgotten that he doesn’t have to sign on to a film like Due Date just for the paycheck.
Granted, the project looked good on paper, with Downey and comic flavor-of-the-moment Zach Galifianakis in a Planes, Trains And Automobiles (ripoff? homage?) Add to the mix Old School and The Hangover director Todd Phillips, and it’s money in the bank.
Unfortunately, things have a way of not working out as planned.
If you’ve seen one buddy picture involving misunderstandings, wacky mishaps, and unrealistic twists, you’ve seen Due Date. The talent on hand here can’t save it from contrived plot points and lazy writing.
The special features on the Blu-ray release don’t give you any incentive to pick it up, with only deleted scenes, a gag reel, and the complete “Two And A Half Men” scene featuring Galifianakis’ character holding any interest.
Unstoppable
20th Century Fox
Sometimes, you just need a simple action flick to get you through the dark times. A simple action flick is not a mindless action flick, however. Mindless actioners exist merely to blow stuff up real good, titillate 14-year-old boys, and generally bring everyone’s IQ down a dozen points or so.
Simple actioners just put a basic scenario on the screen, then let intelligent people deal with it in a way that doesn’t talk down to the audience — all the while getting in a few edge-of-the-seat moments.
Director Tony Scott knows a thing or two about simple action films, having helmed Top Gun and The Taking Of Pelham 123 remake. With Unstoppable, Scott again teams with Pelham‘s Denzel Washington and adds Chris Pine, taking some shore leave from the Starship Enterprise, to give us a good old-fashioned runaway train yarn.
Sure, there’s nothing new here: the out-of-control train contains deadly toxins that will destroy whatever it crashes into. And of course there’s a carload of school children in its path and a bureaucratic douchebag who thinks he knows how to control things from the corporate office. But Washington, Pine, and Scott know they aren’t doing Shakespeare, and thus don’t try to bring anything to their roles that isn’t necessary.
Blu-ray extras such as features on the making of, stunt work, and scene breakdowns, as well as BD Live extras make Unstoppable a worthwhile, if none too challenging evening at home.
The Walking Dead
Anchor Bay
For those who thought they could escape the impending zombie apocalypse, here are a few words of advice: get used to it. It’s coming, so stock up on canned goods and learn how to use that rifle that’s mounted over the fireplace.
But seriously, folks, the zombie movie isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, it’s now so ingrained in the public consciousness that the ratings for AMC’s “The Walking Dead” far eclipsed the viewership of their other weekly juggernaut, “Mad Men.” Granted, the wardrobe at “Mad Men'”s weekly viewing parties is considerably better, but still . . .
“TWD'”s first season wasn’t long, but the tale of a motley group of survivors fending off the undead contained more interesting characters and situations in a mere six episodes than most shows have in a full-season run.
Anchor Bay’s two-disc Blu-ray set comes loaded with special features, including insight into every episode, a behind-the-scenes overview, as well as segments on the makeup and extra footage.
— Timothy Hiatt
Category: Columns, Digital Divide, Monthly
