Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in "Fools Gold"
courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment
“A Fool For Gold”

Sometimes the success of a movie is all in the chemistry of the lead actors. Such is the case with “Fool’s Gold” which is out on DVD this week. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star in this romantic comedy about a boy/man and his soon to be ex-wife. The casting is perfect. McConaughey is at his most boyish and Kate is at her most beautiful. They both are blonde and golden with an aura of health and happiness. You will love seeing this repairing of the "How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days" co-stars.

Both Finn (McConaughey) and Tess (Hudson) are living in Key West. He is diving for treasure and she is working as a steward on a yacht owned by millionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland). They are in the process of getting a divorce.

By accident Finn discovers what he thinks is part of a lost treasure. He manages to convince Honeycutt to finance a salvage operation in the area where the treasure might be. Also pursuing the treasure is Finn's old boss Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone) as well as town crook Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart).

None of this part of the plot really matters. Audiences will just want to focus on Finn and Kate and how their love reignites. As a sparring couple these two are really great. She is all logic and he is all gut instinct. Put them together and they cover all the angles. Plus he loves to take his shirt off and she looks good in a bikini.

There is a subplot involving Honeycutt and his daughter Gemma (Alexis Dziena). It adds a sweet underside to the whole story. And it adds a second skinny woman to the view. Somebody needs to feed Hudson and Dziena a good meal.

McConaughey and Hudson make a winning combination in the romance department. Viewers will enjoy their charisma. Sutherland adds a father figure to the fun, while Hart makes a threatening villain. The scenery in the film is amazing and makes you long for a trip to tropical shores.

Just as the "National Treasure" movies aren't meant to be taken seriously, neither is the plot in this one. But when the couple is this romantic and the action so much fun, well who cares? This film should raise the stock of McConaughey and Hudson in Hollywood. If they can keep making movies this enjoyable they are in for long careers.

There are big name stars in “The Other Boleyn Girl.” Natalie Portman, Scarlet Johansson and Eric Bana lead the cast. Still this just isn’t enough to make the story fresh and exciting. The plot concerns Anne Boleyn, her sister and King Henry VIII. The SHOWTIME series “The Tudors” has told most of this already and has done it with spectacle and enthusiasm.

I am a big Portman fan and like Johansson too. Bana, well he has never impressed me. But having the female leads playing competing sisters must have seemed like a good idea on paper. Sometimes the idea and the execution just don’t match up.

Still there is enough entertainment value there to make you want to give the film a try. You can always take your time with the DVD and that is a plus. What gets boring in theaters can be avoided on DVD. Right?

A vacation in the country should be a time of rest and relaxation, but in the new DVD “Funny Games” it is a game of survival. Naomi Watts and Tim Roth play a couple who have taken their son to their country home. There they are assaulted by two young men who are playing some kind of sadistic game with them.

This type of movie is one of my least favorite as it seems the violence is random and that to me is the most frightening kind. So I would watch a bit and pause a bit and then even fast forward a bit. But I have to admit the acting is excellent with Michael Pitt being amazing as one of the terrorizers. This is the kind of role at which he excels.

So if you have a stomach for terror you might want to see this movie. But if you are already fearful of home invasions then avoid this movie like the plague.

Another scary movie is “The Sitter.” In this one William R Moses and Gail O’Grady play a couple who are in need of a sitter for their kids when the mother decides to return to the work force. Mariana Klaveno plays the “almost perfect” sitter they find. It doesn’t take long for the true intent of this “sitter” to become clear and the goals she has set for herself aren’t pretty.

This is a pretty gruesome movie so watch it at your peril. You have been warned.

Some of my friends love the TV series “My Boys,” but I can’t for the life of me discover what it is that attracts them. I know Jordana Spiro is cute and can act but she alone is not enough. Then there are all the guys who form her bunch on the show. I can’t keep
them separated because they all remind me of one big overgrown boy.

In “My Boys: The Complete First Season” you get all twenty-two episodes of the show and even a blooper reel among other extras. So you can overdose on the show in one sitting.

In fairness this is a very popular show and has started its second season already on TBS. The people who like it really like it! I will keep watching and see if I can find the clue to what all the fuss is about. There has to be something I am missing.

I know what I liked about “The Andromeda Strain.” This TV miniseries which aired on the Arts and Entertainment Channel is now available on DVD. It stars Benjamin Bratt, Ricky Schroeder and Eric McCormack. The story comes form the best seller by Michael Crichton.

It all involves a deadly germ that falls from the heavens. It is a particularly virulent strain and causes massive destruction in the USA. Our top scientists rush against the clock to stop it - but can it be stopped. You’ll have to watch the DVD to see. 

Finally there is something for the kids this week. It is “Jungle Book 2 Special Edition” and it is loads of fun. Mowgli and the gang are back for more adventures and more songs. Plus you get the speaking voices (and acting talents) of Haley Joel Osment as Mowgli and John Goodman as Baloo.”

If your kids liked the first one they will certainly like this sequel. It is just more of the same – and there are a ton of “extras” on the DVD. There are games, videos and even deleted scenes. Your kids are going to love it.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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