Marg Helgenberger, Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace in
"In Good Company"
courtesy of Universal Home Video
"The Company He Keeps"

Dennis Quaid is a very good actor and the better the cast he is with, the better he is. In the new comedy/drama "In Good Company" he has found a superb actor with whom to co-star. This is Topher Grace of "That 70'' Show." In this movie he plays a young man who is new to the business world but is such a hot shot that when the magazine where Quaid works is bought he ends up being Quaid's boss.

Then to add insult to injury he ends up dating Quaid's daughter, played by Scarlett Johansson. All of this is funny and dramatic, and the actors keep the blend a perfect mix. Quaid is at his very best and Grace responds to the challenge of his talented co-star and elevates his acting game.

This is a movie to be watched, savored and enjoyed. It has depth as well as humor. So get this DVD and have a great time at the movies.

Another good movie on DVD this week is "Assault On Precinct 13." A lot of people missed this movie in its theatrical release but they should definitely watch the DVD version. It is a winner!

Ethan Hawke co-stars with Laurence Fishburne in the film and the supporting cast includes Maria Bello, Drea De Mattea, John Leguizamo and Brian Dennehy. They all are perfect for their roles and make this tale of a police precinct under attack a suspenseful and enjoyable movie.

Hawke is the man in charge at the soon to be closed precinct. Fishburne plays the notorious criminal who ends up there on a winter's night. When the criminals have been secured the police at the station must meet a deadly assault from outside. And help has been cut off because of the weather. The tension gets high but so does the enjoyment of the movie.

This is a film not to be missed. It may not be a movie you have heard of before but don't miss it. It is worth your time and money.

"The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" was one of the big disappointments of last year. It stars Bill Murray who was fresh off his much acclaimed role in "Lost In Translation" and it is directed by Wes Anderson who got much acclaim for "The Royal Tannenbaums." The cast also includes Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum and Owen Wilson.

On DVD the movie is a little more enjoyable as you can stop, skip or even avoid the drier stretches. You can also concentrate on the character aspects of the movie and just ignore the plot, such as it is. Just know the movie is a wild take off on the life and times of Jacques Cousteau, but the actual resemblance to him is rare and unintended.

You have to be a die hard Bill Murray fan to enjoy him in his role and the same is true for Owen Wilson. The ladies come off better with Blanchett and Huston being tolerable. Overall the movie is a comedy that never finds its way to the jokes and a story that runs out of steam before it starts.

"The Life Aquatic" is a soggy mess of a movie and only a bit drier on DVD.

When you tackle William Shakespeare you are taking on a brilliant storyteller but also a lot of history. There is also that Elizabethan English you have to sort through. In "William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice" the actors are brilliant and the story good but getting from point A to point B takes a lot of effort.

Al Pacino plays the moneylender Shylock and Jeremy Irons plays the money short merchant Antonio. They are on a collision course once Antonio asks Shylock for money. But getting to the point where the two meet in court over the money is a long trek. In the interim there is the wooing of Portia (Lynne Collins) by Bassario (Joseph Fiennes).

Hearing the dialogue is a problem even on DVD where you can turn up the volume. Some people even revert to the closed captioning to make sure they understand the story. Luckily the acting is excellent and that helps with the enjoyment, but watching this Shakespeare story is a matter of taste.

"The Last Shot" has a story line so crazy and bizarre that it has to be based on a true incident - and it is. The film is about a scam that is run on the mob by the FBI. They give out information about a movie that is to be made and try to get mob involvement. Is that weird or what!

The movie stars Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Ray Liotta, Calista Flockhart, Toni Collette and Tony Shaloub. That is a big cast for such a strange little movie. And on the DVD you get a feature about the true events that inspired the movie along with a lot of other extras.

Some movies have to be seen to be believed and this is one of those. So remember while you are watching that it is all based on a true event. It really is.

One of the most popular programs on the Disney Channel is "Kim Possible." And the first full length feature movie of this popular characters was "Kim Possible: So the Drama." Now on DVD we get "The Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama Extended Version" and it has the entire movie PLUS extra scenes and extra features.

The movie features the voice of Christy Romano Carlson as Kim. She also sings on the movie soundtrack as does Jessie McCartney. The plot of the film has Kim excited about her prom and a new boy named Eric. Then there is the evil Dr. Drakken trying to find out Kim's main weakness so he can conquer the world. That's a lot going on in just one movie.

Make your kids happy by getting this chock full DVD today. They will love it and love you for getting it for them.

"Scrubs" has developed a cult following. It has a hard core group who love anything and everything about this NBC comedy. These are the people who have been eagerly awaiting the release of the first season of the show on DVD, and the time has come and it is here.

Now you can see the first and freshest season of the show as you get to meet JD (Zach Braff), his friend and fellow intern Turk (Donald Faison), another intern Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), their superior, Dr Cox (John C McGinley), and also Dr Kelso (Ken Jenkins). 

The situations and the dialogue are all quirky and comedic, with this cast knowing how to best deliver the lines. It is for sure you will be entertained and amused. So get this DVD for the fun of the show and the extras a DVD set brings. It is "Scrubs: The First Season" and it is waiting for you at the video store.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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