Star Trek
Paramount
$30
2-Disc: $35
Blu-ray: $40

Plot: James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Uhura and the rest of the crew of the starship Enterprise embark on their very first mission that pits them against a mysterious warlord from the future.

Opinion: Growing up, I was always more into Star Trek as a film franchise than as a TV-series.  Sure, the movies were essentially just longer episodes, but the best installments-i.e. the even-numbered ones-had a scope and grandeur that captured my imagination far more than the series’ steady stream of technobabble.  Naturally, my favorite films are the ones featuring the original crew, but I still found things to enjoy in some of the Next Generation‘s big-screen adventures, even their last outing, Nemesis, which brought the franchise to a screeching halt when it earned an embarrassing $43 million in its brief theatrical run.  Clearly, the time was right for a fresh take on Star Trek, but what’s funny about J.J. Abrams’ lavishly-produced reboot is how closely it sticks to the spirit-and in some cases, the letter-of the original show.  That’s the genius of Abrams film-it’s a blockbuster sci-fi adventure that’s been designed to reach the broadest possible audience, yet still looks and feels like Star Trek.  The cast is strong across the board, with the standouts being Karl Urban’s McCoy, Simon Pegg’s Scotty and, of course, the ship’s top officers, Kirk and Spock, played by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto respectively.  Those two actors accomplish the seemingly impossible task of making viewers forget about their predecessors-William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy-and accept them as the new faces of these sci-fi icons.  With an ensemble like this manning the Enterprise, Star Trek‘s future is looking very bright indeed.

Bonus Features: It couldn’t have been easy relaunching a massive franchise like Star Trek, but Abrams and his core creative team sound like they had a blast, at least judging from the lively commentary track that accompanies the feature.  The cast and crew are equally enthusiastic and upbeat in the myriad featurettes included on the second disc, which cover such topics as the casting process, the special effects and the design of the new Enterprise.  There are also 12 deleted scenes, two of which go a long way to clearing up the film’s biggest mystery-what exactly did the bad guy do while hanging around in the middle of deep space for 25 years?

Verdict: Buy It

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Brüno
Universal
$30
Blu-ray: $40

Plot: Austrian fashion expert Brüno comes to America in pursuit of fame and fortune…but finds mainly farce.

Opinion: On the surface, Borat and Brüno more or less seem like the same movie.  Both involve British comic Sacha Baron Cohen dressing up as an outrageous caricature and putting himself in the middle of real (or, in some cases, semi-scripted) situations with real people while several cameras film the results.  Because of this deliberately chaotic production process, it stands to reason that neither film has much of a story; instead, they are basically an assembly of sketches strung loosely together by voiceover.

Given that they are so similar in style and structure, one would think that the films deliver an equal number of laughs as well.  From my standpoint though, Brüno is a smarter, savvier and all-around funnier movie than its predecessor.  Aside from more creative and emotionally charged encounters with real people, Brüno’s arrogance is far funnier than Borat’s wide-eyed naïveté.  I will also say that the film’s climactic 15 minutes are crazier than anything in Borat (yes, including the infamous nude wrestling scene) while also providing some potent social commentary and a surprisingly emotional-and staunchly pro-gay-finale.  Quite frankly, based on the shit he pulls in this last sequence, I’m amazed that Cohen made it out of the South alive, but kudos to him for putting his own well-being on the line for our enjoyment and enlightenment.

Bonus Features: A half-hour’s worth of deleted scenes-including one featuring La Toya Jackson that was cut from the movie at the eleventh hour following her brother’s sudden death-and another twenty minutes of extended scenes.  Cohen also contributes an in-character commentary track with director Larry Charles.

Verdict: Buy It

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Fight Club: 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray Disc
20^th Century Fox
$35

Plot: An insomniac and a home soap manufacturer start an underground boxing club that eventually morphs into something very, very different.

Opinion: Most tenth-anniversary special edition platters load up on exclusive new bonus features in an effort to convince film fanatics to double dip.  That’s what makes Fox’s Blu-ray only anniversary edition of David Fincher’s incendiary 1999 mindfuck Fight Club such a curiosity.  This single-disc release comes with just three new extras, including footage from Spike TV’s 2009 Guys Choice Awards, where the film was voted into the Guy Movie Hall of Fame, and an interactive featurette that walks you through the movie’s elaborate sound design.  You’ve gotta ask yourself: are a measly three new extras really worth the $35 sticker price?  Actually, the lack of fresh bonus material speaks less to what this edition does wrong than what the previous edition did right.  Released in 2000, the original two-disc Fight Club set was one of the most forward-thinking discs on the market.  In addition to a whopping four commentaries, that version also offered a comprehensive gallery of the film’s inventive ad campaign and, best of all, a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes that perfectly exploited the format’s multi-angle, multi-audio track capability.  All of that material has wisely been preserved on the Blu-ray version, with the added bonus of a comprehensive search index that easily ranks as the disc’s best new feature.  Using the index, you can jump instantly to any subject discussed on one of the four commentaries or the documentaries without having to return to the main menu.  As for the movie itself, Fight Club remains a one-of-a-kind gem, an audacious act of cinematic terrorism carried out on a major studio’s dime.  If the film doesn’t already have a place on your DVD shelf, picking up the Blu-ray version is a no-brainer.  On the other hand, those space monkeys who are already club members shouldn’t feel obligated to upgrade.

Verdict: Buy It

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Farscape: The Complete Series
A&E
$150

Plot: Astronaut John Crichton teleports through a wormhole and winds up in a far, far away galaxy where he has all sorts of crazy, cool and dangerous adventures.

Opinion: One of the best science-fiction shows ever to grace the airwaves, Farscape offered its small, but devoted fanbase four seasons worth of out-of-this-world storytelling before being unceremoniously canceled by its network right before its final season.  (Thankfully the show was able to wrap up most of its loose ends in an independently produced mini-series that aired a few years later.)  Sporting a terrific ensemble, led by Ben Browder as Crichton and Claudia Black as his on and off again lover and kick-ass soldier Aeryn Sun, the series also distinguished itself with some truly daring storytelling decisions and breakneck pacing.  If the new Star Trek movie whet your appetite for more pulse-pounding space opera, Farscape is the next logical second course.

Bonus Features: Don’t let the modest size of this box set fool you-A&E has packed it full of fan-friendly extras.  In addition to numerous commentary tracks, there are dozens of featurettes and deleted scenes, as well as a whole extra disc of archival material that includes a hard-to-find behind-the-scenes documentary.

Verdict: Buy It

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Also on DVD
Two of 2009′s very best movies debut on DVD this week from the good folks at Focus Features.  With Thirst (Focus, $30) South Korean bad boy Park Chan-wook injects some much-needed creative energy into the increasingly tired vampire genre.  Employing the same mixture of dark comedy, soap-opera melodramatics and gonzo gore that made his best-known film-2003′s Oldboy-such a trip to watch, the director concocts a story that follows a devout priest whose faith is tested after he is transformed into a vampire following a blood transfusion.  Thirst is probably Chan-wook’s most commercially accessible film, lacking the scrambled narrative chronology and disturbing incest subplot that scared some viewers off of Oldboy.  But the director’s fans needn’t worry about him selling out; Park’s greatest skill as a director is meshing wildly different tones-comedy, horror and romantic melodrama-into a coherent whole and Thirst offers all the thrills, laughs and “Holy shit!” moments we’ve come to expect from him.

Like blank verse poetry or atonal jazz, Jim Jarmusch films are an acquired taste.  Either you dig the fiercely independent director’s offbeat vibe or you find his movies about as appealing as invasive surgery.  The director’s latest feature, The Limits of Control (Focus, $30) may be his most abstract yet-a virtually plot-free “thriller” that follows the adventures of the so-called Lone Man on his journey across Spain to complete an unspecified mission.  Along the way, he encounters a series of strange associates-played by an all-star supporting cast that includes Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Gael García Bernal-who may or may not be figments of his imagination.  Working with the great cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Jarmusch crafts what may be his best-looking film to date.  The compositions are so beautiful, the lighting so exquisite, any frame of this movie could be snipped out of the film print and hung in a gallery.

In other new releases news, The Canyon (Magnet, $27) casts Chuck hottie Yvonne Strahovski as one-half of a pair of newlyweds that decide to spend their honeymoon touring the Grand Canyon and end up fighting for their very survival after their guide gets hurt and their supplies disappear. On the heels of the lavish Wizard of Oz box set, here comes Gone With the Wind: 70^th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Warner Bros.) available in both standard and Blu-ray formats with all kinds of extra goodies, including documentaries, film stills and reproductions of actual studio documents.  Finally, it may only have lasted two seasons, but Rome: The Complete Series (HBO, $140) remains one of HBO’s most entertaining shows.  Check out what you missed via this handsome box set that offers the complete run of the series plus some nifty behind-the-scenes material.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince handily wins the weekend box office race.

It’s true what they say: absence really does make the heart grow fonder.  Even though the last Harry Potter flick came out two full years ago–July 11, 2007, only a week before the final book in the series hit shelves–audiences showed up in droves to check out the latest installment, which has banked $159 million since its midnight launch last Tuesday.  Expect a similarly strong turn-out for the last two movies in the franchise, which are set to launch in Fall 2010 and Summer 2011 respectively.  Those families that couldn’t score a ticket on the Hogwarts Express settled for the continuing animated adventures of a trio of pre-historic creatures.  Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs collected another $17 million in its third week in release, putting its total gross at $152 million.  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen continues to print money for Paramount, closing in on the $400 million mark, which would put it in the lower rungs of the Top Ten of all-time box office champs.

Elsewhere, Sacha Baron Cohen might need to start looking for a traditional romantic comedy stat.  His sophomore star turn Bruno took a big second-week hit, collecting only $8 million for a total to-date gross of $50 million.  At this point, the movie has little chance of catching up to its predecessor Borat, which finised its run with $130 million.  On the other hand, director Todd Phillips is rolling in dough now that his low-budget comedy The Hangover has officially become one of the biggest comedy smashes ever, with $236 million and counting.

Looking at the bottom half of the chart, Sandra Bullock and Johnny Depp took the #6 and #7 spots respectively and Pixar’s Up–still the best film of 2009–finished eighth as it approaches $300 million, which makes it the company’s second biggest hit behind Finding Nemo.  A pair of blondes–Cameron Diaz and Hayden Panettiere–round out the Top Ten.

Full figures are below, courtesy of the-numbers.com.  Next week, Katherine Heigl will attempt to seduce moviegoers with her charms in The Ugly Truth and Jerry Bruckheimer tries his hand at making a kiddie blockbuster in the action comedy G-Force.

The Top Ten: July 17-19, 2009
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $159.7
2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: $17.7/$152
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: $13.8/$363.9
4. Bruno: $8.3/$49.6
5. The Hangover: $8.3/$235.8
6. The Proposal: $8.2/$128
7. Public Enemies: $7.5/$79.4
8. Up: $3.1/$279.5
9. My Sister’s Keeper: $2.8/$41.5
10. I Love You, Beth Cooper: $2.6/$10.2

Reviews of Brüno and I Love You, Beth Cooper

Brüno
Directed by Larry Charles
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen
***

On the surface, Borat and Brüno more or less seem like the same movie.  Both involve British comic Sacha Baron Cohen dressing up as an outrageous caricature and putting himself in the middle of real (or, in some cases, semi-scripted) situations with real people while several cameras film the results.  Because of this deliberately chaotic production process, it stands to reason that neither film has much of a story; instead, they are basically an assembly of sketches strung loosely together by voiceover.

Given that they are so similar in style and structure, one would think that the films deliver an equal number of laughs as well.  From my standpoint though, Brüno is a smarter, savvier and all-around funnier movie than its predecessor.  Why?  It comes down to the way the respective characters are positioned in their respective movies.  Borat was more of an assimilation tale, with the titular Kazakh journalist coming to America eager to learn how to be just like us…and failing miserably.  In contrast, the flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter Brüno isn’t really concerned with conforming to the American way of life—it’s his world and we just live in it.

Aside from allowing for more creative and emotionally charged encounters with real people—Brüno’s arrogance is far funnier than Borat’s wide-eyed naïveté—this characterization helps the movie navigate around the potential pitfall of endorsing homophobia instead of satirizing it.  It’s established early on that Brüno loves being gay and can’t understand why anyone would have a problem with it.  Even though the movie could be taken to task for the way it occasionally seeks to score easy laughs through the sight of two men dressed in bondage gear or playing with elaborate sex toys, Brüno’s gleeful enthusiasm during these scenes makes it clear that he doesn’t think any of this is weird.  And if he doesn’t, why should we?

In fact, the only time Brüno’s smile starts to fade is in the film’s second half, when he decides that in order to achieve his dream of global superstardom, he’ll have to put himself back in the closet.  This Herculean task leads him from the bright lights of Hollywood—where he’s spent that past forty-five minutes pursuing celebrity via such crazy stunts as filming his own sex tape (with former Presidential candidate Ron Paul), devoting himself to charitable causes and adopting an African baby a la Angelina Jolie—to the Deep South.  Among the people he crosses paths with are two “ex-gay” evangelists, a trio of heavily armed redneck hunters and a big-breasted dominatrix who wields a mean whip.  I’m not going to reveal where Brüno’s Southern sojourn ends, but I will say that the film’s climactic 15 minutes are crazier than anything in Borat (yes, including the infamous nude wrestling scene) while also providing some potent social commentary and a surprisingly emotional—and staunchly pro-gay—finale.  Quite frankly, based on the shit he pulls in this last sequence, I’m amazed that Cohen made it out of the South alive, but kudos to him for putting his own well-being on the line for our enjoyment and enlightenment.

Of course, nothing kills a comedy like over-analysis, so I should say that I wasn’t thinking much about the deeper implications of Brüno’s behavior while I was watching the film.  Instead, I was alternately gasping and laughing my ass off at the sheer insanity unfolding onscreen.  No doubt realizing that this is the last time he’ll be able to get away with this kind of guerrilla comedy, Cohen goes for broke and while not all of the gags land—a detour to the Middle East doesn’t pay off as successfully as it should, for example—the hit-to-miss ratio is much higher here than in Borat.  One can only speculate what Cohen will do next, but Brüno is a memorable capper to the first half of his career.

Verdict: See It

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I Love You, Beth Cooper
Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack T. Carpenter, Lauren London
**

I wasn’t expecting much when I randomly picked up ex-Simpsons writer Larry Doyle’s debut novel I Love You, Beth Cooper a few years back.  Within the first few pages though, I was laughing hysterically at Doyle’s hilarious prose, which deftly balanced broad comedy with painfully true descriptions of the draconian social caste system that is high school.  Set over the course of one long day and night, the story follows outcast Denis Coverman as he improbably ends up riding shotgun opposite his dream girl, Beth Cooper, with her ‘roided-up soldier boy boyfriend hot on their tail.

It made perfect sense to bring Doyle’s book to the big screen—unfortunately the humor and emotion got completely lost in translation.  It’s hard to blame the young cast, who show up ready to have some fun; Heroes knockout Hayden Panettiere is a natural choice for the role of the hottest girl in school (expect her legion of male admirers to pick up the film on DVD for her split-second topless scene) and Paul Rust, making his leading man debut as Denis, is genuinely nerdy instead of “movie star” nerdy.  From the opening scenes though, the movie’s pace and timing are noticeably off; scenes that played like gangbusters on the page are awkward and improbable on screen.

Director Chris Columbus seems completely flummoxed by the material, which is strange when you recall that he got his start writing and/or directing some of the best teen romps of the ’80s, including The Goonies and Adventures in Babysitting.  Based on this movie, you’d never know he’d even seen a comedy before, let alone made one.  Instead of paying $12 to see I Love You, Beth Cooper on the big screen, head to your local library and check out Doyle’s book for free.  It’s cheaper and funnier than sitting through the movie version.

Verdict: Skip It

He’s baaaaaaack…

If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen much of Sacha Baron Cohen recently, that’s because the controversy-loving comedian has been traveling around the country disguised as his fashion-forward alter ego Bruno, a flamboyant Austrian fashionista.  While a few Bruno sightings have made headlines–including his presence at a Proposition 8 rally in California last year–for the most part he’s managed to remain off the grid, which is all the more amazing when you consider how popular Borat was.  Based on this red-banded trailer–seriously, it ain’t work safe folks–for the flick (which was just slapped with an NC-17 rating, although expect it to be edited down to a hard-R before its July 10 release date) Cohen hasn’t lost his ability to provoke or his substantial death wish.  Here’s hoping the movie doesn’t end with the comic six feet under, killed by an irate gun-toting redneck he provoked.