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Today’s DVDs: Lion roars, critic snores
The DVD selection for this week is so uninspiring that the best bet is actually a documentary about a movie studio.
MGM: When the Lion Roars: This two-disc set reveals how MGM rose to power and glory with “more stars than there are in the heavens” - and how that glory slowly but surely faded when first golden age of movies came to an end. Unfortunately, there are no extras, but the documentary has enough interviews and clips from classsics to tell a story better than you’d find in most movies.
City of Ember: This was a rare misfire from Walden Media, the producers of such book-to-movie fare as the Narnia series, Charlotte’s Web and Bridge to Terabithia. While some imaginative visuals and good performances from Bill Murray and Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) make the film worthwhile, director Gil Kenan (Monster House) loses grip of the story, which loses energy too soon. GRADE: B-
As for the rest you have The Express (football drama that made nary a ripple), Henry Poole is Here (a sleeper no one saw), Igor (animation that came and went) Max Payne (a shoot em up not even that well liked by the gamer crowd) and Saw V, a series of which even the fans seem to be tiring.
Have fun!
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Comments
By SRCputt
January 20, 2009 7:09 PM | Link to this
I remember watching When The Lion Roared when it originally ran on TNT 15 years ago. I really enjoyed it, and recommend watching it to any lover of classic cinema. But I can’t see buying it, because I can’t see watching it over and over again. This is the stories behind the stories, and for repeat viewing, I’d rather watch the actual great moments created in the That’s Entertainment series.