John Travolta, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence in "Wild Hogs"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
"John Travolta Goes Hog Wild"

John Travolta is smack dab in the middle of a great big comeback. He really wasn't gone anywhere but his movies weren't the major hits they once were. Then along came "Wild Hogs" and John went hog wild in this role. He followed it up with "Hairspray" and the rest, as they say, is history.

I knew "Wild Hogs" was going to be a success when I walked into my local theater to view it and someone walked up to me and said, "This is the kind of movie the critics will hate but the Bubbas will love." Truer words have never been spoken. Still I have to say that as a critic with a bit of the "Bubba" in him, I had a good time. And so will you. The movie is now out on DVD and you can watch it over and over if you wish.

The movie concerns four friends who are tired of the ruts of their lives. Woody (Travolta) has a wife who has left him, and he is also broke. Doug (Allen) is a dentist who feels alienated from his family and his self-esteem. Bobby (Martin Lawrence) gets no respect at home and is doing a job he hates. Dudley (William H Macy) is a computer programmer who feels like a complete nerd.

When Woody suggests a road trip on their bikes the others sign on. They are on an adventure on the open road, but it takes sort of a serious turn when they come up against a gang of rough bikers who sneer at these "posers," as they call them.

There is an inevitable conflict between the "Wild Hogs" and the rough guys who are led by a tough guy named Jack (Ray Liotta). It seems the wild hogs can be a little bit brave when pushed to the wall.

Just about everything in the movie is predictable from the "hogs" showing some spunk, to nerdy Dudley finding romance on the road with a lovely lady (Marisa Tomei). The humor in the film is unnecessarily crude, but there are enough laughs distributed throughout the film that all in the audience leave with smiles on their faces.

Travolta and Allen are fine as the two lead members of the group, but the best laughs are saved for Lawrence and Macy. Lawrence can make the tritest line funny, and he does this over and over again in the movie. Macy is the most endearing character and he plays the loveable loser for all it is worth.

Another good movie out on DVD now is "The Lookout," the type of independent looking movie that arrives on the scene without much fanfare. People stumble across it more by accident than by intent, but once they view the movie they find they are fascinated by it. This leads to good word of mouth and this should lead to a better DVD audience than a movie one.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt of "Third Rock From the Sun" fame plays Chris Pratt, a college hockey star in the Midwest who has it all. His family is well to do and he has a great athletic career plus a beautiful girlfriend. All of that changes in an instant when he crashes his car, kills two of his friends, and severely injures his girlfriend. Pratt is also left with injuries that affect his mental capacity.

He finds a job as a janitor at a bank. He also finds a roommate. This is Lewis (Jeff Daniels) a blind man who helps Chris cope with life. They lead unexciting and uneventful lives until Chris meets up with Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), a man who claims to know Chris' sister. They begin to hang out together and Gary even introduces Chris to a girl named Luvlee (Isla Fisher). She builds up Chris' damaged ego.

Eventually Chris learns that Gary and his friends plan to rob the bank where he works. They want Chris to be the lookout. At first he is tempted to do it because of the money involved, but then he changes his mind. The only problem is Gary won't let him change his mind.

The movie starts off slowly and lets the characters build in the audience's mind. Chris' limitations and abilities are clearly defined and this helps make the understanding of the character clear. Plus Gordon-Levitt does a masterful job of playing this role.

Daniels and Goode are also good in their roles. The believability of them and Gordon-Levitt are what sparks the film and make it so interesting. By the time the bank robbery is upon us the interest in these three characters has risen to a high level.

Sergio Di Zio is also effective in his role as Deputy Ted. Ted comes by the bank each night while Chris is working and brings him doughnuts. He is an affable and faithful friend to Chris. These traits will lead him to be involved in the bank heist and he will trigger a crisis of sorts.

Isla Fisher is okay in her role but it doesn't add much to the film. Her screen time is limited and the true nature of her character is never revealed. She seems to have genuine feelings for Chris, but then maybe not.

It has been over thirty years since "Taxi driver" appeared on our movie screens. Martin Scorcese's film was shocking back in 1976 and it still is today. Robert DeNiro and Jodie Foster were stunning in their roles and the film propelled them to the status of who they are today.

"Taxi Driver: Limited Collector's Edition" is a DVD for the hard core movie fan. It has extras that will thrill anyone devoted to the work of Scorcese, DeNiro or Foster. You have to have the whole package in order to be totally satisfied and you get it here.

Mark down the title - "Taxi Driver -Limited Collectors Edition" and get it as soon as you can. It will definitely be something collectors will want to have.

Take a chance on "The Lookout" being a movie you should be on the lookout for. It is definitely worth a viewing.

You can get twenty-seven episodes of "Darkwing Duck" in the new DVD "Darkwing Duck Volume 2." The adventures of Darkwing Duck, aka Drake Mallard, provide adventure and fun for your kids to watch. It is all good family entertainment and will keep the kids occupied for hours at a time.

In this series of episodes you get a chance to see how this animated superhero spoofed the other superheroes of our day. It is done cleverly and with great wit and admiration.

You can also pick up and enjoy the DVD of "The Tick VS - Season Two." Here is another superhero for the kids to watch. The man in blue tights fights crime anywhere he can find it. There are twelve episodes in this collection and all of them are just for fun. 

"The Tick" is a crazy superhero but a fun one. Introduce your family to this crime fighter and watch them laugh and enjoy it.

Pre-schoolers are the target audience for "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Volume 7" but even older kids will get a kick out of the humor contained in the five episodes in this collection. Anything with the name "Scooby-Doo" on it will be an instant hit regardless of how old the hero is at the time.

So let your kids enjoy these "mysteries" and the bigger mystery of Scooby-Doo's charm. Adults may not understand it but kids certainly do.
 

 

 

 

 

©2007 Jackie K. Cooper

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