Michael Cera and Jonah Hill in "Superbad"
courtesy of Sony Home Entertainment
"Lives Up To Its Name"

Any filmmaker who titles his/her movie "Superbad" is just asking for some smart mouth critic to holler, "You said it!" But in actuality "Superbad" (now out on DVD) is not superbad. It just isn't supergood. Plus it is kind of sad that the sense of humor in movies today is directed below the belt in both language and actions. Still if bathroom humor is your thing Hollywood is going through a cultural renaissance slanted that way.

This movie is all about high school seniors and their desire to get drunk and have sex. Along the way the movie does show how important it is to lie about your age to get alcohol, and also how to destroy property both intentionally and unintentionally. In short there are no role models here.

Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play Seth and Evan. They have been best friends forever but now Evan is going to Dartmouth and Seth didn't get in. This puts a strain on their friendship, but they put that issue on the back burner while they work on getting alcohol to take to a party - one of the few to which they have been invited.

Another friend, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) has a fake ID so they get him to get the booze. While he is in the process of getting it there is a robbery and Fogell ends up with the police. Seth and Evan end up with some party guy who takes them to a wild party where there is alcohol for the taking.

Some of this is funny and some of this is boring, but maybe I am not the age to be entertained by streams of profanity and endless discussions about sex. Still this seems to be Judd Apatow's trademark. He is one of the producers of this film and he seems to have put his imprint on it. It has a lot in common with "Knocked Up" and "The Forty-Year Old Virgin" though at least they did concern adults.

Seth Rogen of "Knocked Up" fame is in this film as a cop. He is also one of the co-writers of the script. It seems he would have given himself some better lines. He and Bill Hader who plays the other cop are two of the weakest actors in the film.

Hill and Cera throw themselves into their roles, such as they are. They let the profanity roll off their tongues with ease and don't seem embarrassed by even the most ludicrous acts they have to perform. In some ways they are like the Caucasian version of "Harold and Kumar."

There has always been a place for movies of this type but they usually don't dominate the box office. They usually wait and find their true audience on DVD. "Superbad" has the name of Judd ("Knocked Up") Apatow attached to it so it gets a bigger boost than usual. The DVD sales should be huge.

The complete opposite of "Superbad" is "High School Musical 2." It is squeaky clean (Vanessa Hudgens not withstanding) and is full of fresh-faced young men and women singing and dancing their hearts out.

This time out it is summer vacation and the kids from "HS Musical" have summer jobs. Hudgens, Zac Efrom, Ashley Tisdale and all the others work at the same place, now isn't that a coincidence? There are dances, songs, comedy routines - in short everything to help keep you teen and preteen happy.

Plus on "High School Musical 2: Extended Edition" you get bloopers, musical videos, and singalongs. Your kids will watch the movie over and over plus they will pour over the "extras." This is your chance to get them exactly what they want - so get "High School Musical 2: Extended Edition."

Since TV is in the middle of a writer's strike a lot of shows are running out of fresh episodes. Still "Lost" is scheduled to return at the end of January. Before it starts a new season you will want to get the DVD of "Lost: The Complete Third Season, The Unexplored Experience." 

In addition to all twenty-three episodes you get over six hours of bonus features. You heard me right - six hours of bonus features. "Lost" is a difficult show to follow and a lot of these features help with the overall understanding of the series.

So get ready for the new season of "Lost" by studying last year's amazing adventure. Remember it is titled "Lost: The Complete Third Season, The Unexplored Experience." It has it all.

You will find hours and hours of entertainment for your kids if you pick up the DVD's of Walt Disney's Treasures - Wave VII." This is a three disc set divided into shows about "The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit," "Disneyland Secrets, Stories and Magic," and "Chronological Donald, Volume 3."

Plus each of these three have bonus features in addition to the cartoon compilations. You get commentary, behind the scenes views, and much more. This is a historical look at all things Disney so get the DVD's as soon as you can.

Its back to sleaze with "Dirt: The Complete First Season DVD." This collection of the first thirteen episodes of the show tells the story of Lucy Spiler4s and her efforts to dig up the dirt on all the celebrities Hollywood has to offer.

Courtney Cox-Arquette of "Friends" fame stars as Spillers and she is good being bad. You won't recognize this as being the actress who once charmed us all as Monica. "Dirt" is a total opposite to "Friends." But get the DVD and get the shows and all the extras. If you missed it last year you can watch the episodes from start to finish. It is "Dirt: The Complete First Season DVD."

Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller star in the provocative film "Interview." Buscemi not only stars in this movie he also write and directed it. It is a story about a journalist who is assigned to write a puff piece on a young actress. At first he is angered at having to suffer through such trivia but as the interview progresses he learns there is more here than meets the eye.

The movie is a little talky but Buscemi and Miller manage to make most of it interesting. They work well together. So stick with it and you will end up being entertained. And there is a twist at the end.
 

 

 

 

 

©2007 Jackie K. Cooper

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