Paramount Pictures recently released information for the upcoming DVD/Blu-Ray release of Robert Zemeckis' Flight. The film quietly made $92 million at the box office considering that the film stars Denzel Washington and boasts an exceptional supporting cast including John Goodman , Don Cheadle , Kelly Reilly , Bruce Greenwood , Melissa Leo and Brian Geraghty .

Special Features on the Blu-Ray include Origins of Flight, The Making of Flight, Anatomy of a Plane Crash and Q&A Highlights. No features were announced for the DVD.

"Fight" hits stores and on demand on February 5th.

Press Release:

"One of the most memorable movie-going experiences of the year" ( Richard Roeper , " Richard Roeper & The Movies"), the "keenly felt, knuckle-biting drama" ( Lisa Schwarzbaum , Entertainment Weekly) FLIGHT makes its Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand debut on February 5, 2013 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Hailed by critics and audiences alike, FLIGHT is directed by renowned filmmaker Robert Zemeckis ( Forrest Gump , Cast Away) and stars the incomparable Denzel Washington in a performance that "will be talked about for years" ( Peter Travers , Rolling Stone) and has earned him Golden Globe®, SAG and Critics' Choice award nominations. Written by John Gatins , the film tells the story of Whip Whitaker, a commercial airline pilot who miraculously lands a plummeting airplane during a breathtaking sequence described as "the hairiest, scariest, most realistic, and thrilling plane crash in movie history" ( Richard Corliss , Time). But despite his heroics, Whip comes under investigation and begins what may be an even more harrowing personal descent. FLIGHT also boasts an exceptional supporting cast including John Goodman , Don Cheadle , Kelly Reilly , Bruce Greenwood , Melissa Leo and Brian Geraghty .

FLIGHT will be available in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with UltraViolet™ and compelling special features that take audiences behind-the-scenes to learn about the film's journey to the screen, how the filmmakers created the terrifying plane crash, and more. In addition, the two-disc set includes highlights from a Q&A panel. The film will also be available as a single-disc DVD.

All Blu-ray releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – reliably and securely – to a variety of devices.

* Best Actor in a Leading Role, Training Day, 2001; Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Glory, 1989
** Best Director, Forrest Gump , 1994

FLIGHT Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
The FLIGHT Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The combo pack includes access to a digital copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

Feature film in high definition
Origins of Flight
The Making of Flight
Anatomy of a Plane Crash
Q&A Highlights

DVD

Feature film in standard definition

FLIGHT Single-Disc DVD
The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The disc includes the feature film in standard definition.

Paramount Pictures presents an Imagemovers/Parkes + MacDonald production: "Flight," directed by Robert Zemeckis . Produced by Parkes/MacDonald Production's Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald , and ImageMovers' Robert Zemeckis , Steve Starkey , and Jack Rapke . The executive producer is Cherylanne Martin . Original screenplay by John Gatins .

“Red State” is to Kevin Smith what “Unforgiven” was to Clint Eastwood; a game changer in the way we perceive him as an artist. Any shred of Jay and Silent Bob is completely absent here as he probes the horror of an ultra-fundamentalist church whose fear of God prompts a siege of destruction that tests its members as well as those ordered to bring them down. Nothing Smith has done previously will prepare you for what he comes up with in “Red State.” We know he’s been looking to do something other than the “Clerks” movies or those formulaic comedies which he’s spent far too long apologizing for. With this one, his creativity and passion for moviemaking is clearly reinvigorated.

The movie starts off innocently enough with one of Smith’s favorite subjects: young men talking about sex. Three teens named Travis, Jared, and Billy Ray drive out to a remote place and meet up with a woman named Sarah (Melissa Leo) who has promised to make out with each of them. But after a couple of beers, they pass out and wake up to find themselves prisoners of the Five Points Church, a fundamentalist cult led by God-fearing pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) who seeks to punish those who have morally corrupted America whether they be homosexuals or adulterers among other sinners. But when things get out of hand as they always do, the church is forced to make its last stand as the police and FBI intervene in a showdown that will not end happily.

The Five Points Church is Smith’s not so subtle representation of that church which is known for protesting funerals of homosexuals and dead soldiers. You probably know the church he’s referring to. For those of you who don’t, you can just figure that out which one on your own. While we see them for the fascist hate mongers they are, you have to wonder what draws anyone to a church with such unrealistic and obscene views. Some are just looking for an answer, and any answer will do to give their life meaning. Whether or not you believe in the beliefs of the Five Points Church or that church is almost beside the point; what should concern you is that there are people out there who do believe in the ridiculously hateful things they are taught, and they will do anything to defend those values at whatever cost.

The leader of that church can only dream of being as charismatic as Abin Cooper. Michael Parks performance is nothing short of brilliant as he makes you believe how people can fall under the spell of a religious pervert. Parks was introduced to a whole new generation of fans when he played Texas Ranger Earl McGraw in “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” and “Grindhouse.” After watching him in “Red State,” you come out wondering why he is not a bigger star. Parks doesn’t just give us a mere impersonation of some maniac preacher. Instead, he gives us a deeply religious man who is as seductive as he is dangerous.

With the actors, Smith just lets them loose to do their own thing, and the results are enthralling. Melissa Leo, who deservedly won an Oscar for her performance in “The Fighter,” gives it her all as Cooper’s daughter Sarah. Her emotional conviction in this role is proof of how far Cooper’s influence as a preacher goes, and Leo remains one of the best actresses working today.

Another big standout is John Goodman who plays ATF Special Agent Keenan. Goodman has always been a great actor, but you get the sense that after so many years that most people don’t recognize him as that. His work in “Barton Fink” and “The Big Lebowski” should be more than enough to convince you of this. Anyway, he gives some of the film’s best speeches as his character is forced into a situation that goes against his moral values, but is one which he cannot simply override. Goodman inhabits this character perfectly, giving him the emotional turmoil and confusion etched on his face.

Other great performances come from Kerry Bishé as Sarah’s daughter Cheyenne, and she is ever so intense in her desperation to save the women and children whom she feels will fall victim to the government’s actions for the wrong reasons. Kevin Pollak provides memorable support as Keenan’s right hand man, Special Agent Brooks. You also have to give credit to the three young actors playing the teens: Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, and Nicholas Braun. The roles they are given are one-dimensional, but they bring more to the material than what is on the page, and they give you a reason to care about their characters and of what happens to them.

Smith’s movies in the past have dealt with conversations about pop culture, but there’s none of that in “Red State.” He instead exploits certain movie conventions that have us believing we’ve figured this one out, and then he pulls out the rug from under us. The violence is truly shocking as characters meet their fates in a way we don’t see coming. This is not your typical good guys versus bad guys story as everyone here is morally flawed in one way or another. The events of David Koresh’s demise in Waco, Texas hang heavily over the proceedings, and no one looks to come out of this a hero.

“Red State” could have been a simple look at the damage caused by religious perversion, but there are different levels at work here. We see how the church, the government, and the local police react to the violent situation they are all immersed in. Look closely at the end credits; the cast is divided by religion, police, and politics. It becomes about containment by any means necessary. So when all is said and done, no one’s coming out of this battle in one piece.

Working with his long time director of photography Dave Klein, Smith finds a unique look for this movie thanks to the RED digital camera. Both are able to get shots that give the material a visceral feel you wouldn’t expect from the director of “Jersey Girl.” The flexibility they find with this device feels inspirational as it allows them to do things they couldn’t do previously.

Kevin Smith still seems determined to retire from making movies, and that’s a shame. “Red State” represents a new chapter in his long career that begs him to keep on going. It’s not a horror movie in the typical sense of things jumping out at you to give you an easy scare; it shows horror we find in everyday life. Who knew Smith would capture it to such powerful effect? In a time when the voices of independent movies appear to be gasping their last breath, Kevin Smith shows himself to be the last man standing and gives us a reason why we can’t let movies like his simply fade away.

* * * * out of * * * *

Gigantic
Year: 2009
Director: Mike Aselton
Studio: First Independent Pictures
Stars: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 98 Mins
Official Website: http://www.thegiganticmovie.com/




“Gigantic” recently premiered in New York, yesterday. The film is about a mattress salesman (Paul Dano), who desperately wants to adopt a Chinese baby. Then one day, he meets a young woman (Zooey Deschanel), who has a potty mouth. The saleman begins to fall for this young woman. To finally have her, he must compete with her art-collecting father (John Goodman) that has a bad back and deep pocket for her and deal with his eccentric parents while waiting for the call about his adoption.

I was really looking forward to “Gigantic”, because of it’s stars Paul Dano and Zooey Deschanel. After watching this film, I was very disappointed, at the fact that this should have been a good film.

The reason this film should have been good, the performances and the direction were good enough. Co-writer and director, Matt Aselton does a very good job with his direction. I liked how, he makes most the scenes seem very weird, like the first time that the two main characters meet at the mattress shop and one of them fall asleep for a couple of hours or the fact that John Goodman’s character has to lay down in the truck of the family’s car, everytime he goes out. Scenes like that make a film like this, different and not so grossed-out, like other comedies. The acting was also good here, as I have no problem with the performances here. I though the chemistry, between Dano and Deschanel was very good, as they kept my interest, for most of this film. Also, it was nice to see Ed Asner get some work, as he has appeared such films and television programs, like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Disney’s upcoming 3D movie “Up”. He’s very good everytime he appeared on screen, as the performance helped me get though some of the dull moments that film has.

This film ultimately fails in the end, because of its screenplay, which was written by Aselton and Adam Nagata. There were two reasons to why this screenplay and film fails. First, there are noticeable flaws in this screenplay that takes this film off track. Every time this became interesting and fun, the whole subplot, with the homeless man slows this film down and it become very dull to watch. The reason for this is simple; the character felt out of place, as it made no sense with the tone and development that was going on. That’s when this film became very dull. Everytime that character came onscreen, the movie stopped doing the positive things that it was achieving with the development of the relationship and the film’s tone. It hurts the tone of the film, especially in the last act.

The other reason for why this film does not work, there really wasn’t much conflict between Dano and Goodman’s character. In order for comedies to work there has to be some sort of conflict, where the two characters that you think are going to have problems, do. There really wasn’t much of this here, as the writers had opportunities, where they could generate some conflict over Deschanel’s character, but I didn’t get the sense that there was any here. They missed the boat there, as there could have been some humorous moments with the two, but there was none.

“Gigantic” is a disappointing film that should have been good, if it wasn’t the fact that this film has a flawed screenplay, along with miss opportunities to generate some humor and interesting conflict. The film is now playing in New York and will hit Los Angeles on April 17th

Review Rating: 2.5 Stars

Written & Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon

Let me say at the start that this movie is not good. I admit that. However, I also have to admit that I kind of liked it. It is a live action Japanese comic book with elements of “Tron,” modern video games, bad kung fu, and oddly enough, an A-Ha music video. It is cheesy, corny, silly and annoying but at times it was also wonderful, fun, and the good kind of cheesy. The movie is seizure inducing not just because of the flashing lights but also because the whole picture is at war with itself.

Adapted from the Japanese animated show from the 1960’s, “Speed Racer” is the story of the Racer family. Pops makes race cars and his sons Rex and Speed drive them. After a family tragedy, Speed must live up to and surpass his brother Rex’s legacy, but in order to do that, he needs to grow up and face the injustices of the “real” world. Although the physics alone in this movie made the “real” world of Speed Racer far less real than even the average video game, it is still an intriguing world of 1950’s charm and old fashionedness behind all the glitz and bright shiny lights. Perhaps this is why this movie looks so much like one of the best video game adaptations I have ever seen. Now “Speed Racer” isn’t a video game (that I know of) but if it were, this movie would be a remarkable feat. As just a movie though, it is still pretty inventive and different.

The tone and comedy of the movie seem more suited for kids (except for a handful of very adult jokes), and that is both a strength and a weakness to the movie. For example, some of the funniest and most groan worthy moments come courtesy of Speed’s younger brother Spritle and his chimpanzee Chim-Chim. Now, having grown up on a steady diet of Chimp classics such as “Lancelot Link” (and to a lesser extent the Orangutan oeuvre of “Any Which Way but Loose” and the dreadful Tony Danza “classic” “Going Ape!” which seemed to be the only movie on HBO at one point in the 1980’s), I have always loved comedy bits with Monkeys and Apes. I can appreciate some cheap laughs from the chimp. However, there were also moments that were just preposterously stupid. One gag would make me giggle and the next one would make me want to leave the theatre.

For me the whole movie was like that. Parts I would just adore and at other times I would just totally loathe the movie. The art direction and color schemes were just spectacular. The casting and wardrobe were magnificent. However, then you have the races that were sometimes exhilarating and at other moments it gave you a “will this chase never end?” déjà vu that I haven’t experienced since the pod race sequence of Episode I of “Star Wars.” If he were alive, even H.B. Halicki would have argued that there were too many car chase sequences. At the same time, the races were almost more interesting than the actual plot.

The movie is all over the map, but ultimately it was an interesting experience. I don’t know if I would ever want to see it again, but I can say that it was inventive and I kind of dug it. I think few would get the cornball charm of this movie, but for the few who feel the way I do, the highlights might outweigh the movie’s detractions.