Bobby Compo and Shantel Vansanten in "The Final Destination"
courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment
“When Does Final Mean Final?”

Some series of movies seem to run on forever, even after their limited appeal has been exhausted. Such is the case with the “Final Destination” series. Can’t someone pull the plug, please? “The Final Destination” is the fourth and hopefully final installment in that series of movies made by Hollywood. The fact this latest episode is titled “The Final Destination” gives one hope. Seriously how long can Hollywood go on making the same movie over and over? For all four of these movies they have used the same plot and have only changed the names of the characters and the locales. Oh yes, and this one is in 3-D.

In the first movie someone had a premonition about a plane crash. In the second it is a car wreck and in the third it is a roller coaster ride. In this latest one the premonition is about a car race causing a calamity. In each film a group of friends cheat death, and in each film the surviving group worries that death may come calling. In each film they think if they can break the cycle they will be saved, and in each film they think they have accomplished just that.

The actors in this latest adventure include Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano and Haley Webb. Now there’s a group to give George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston a run for their money. The makers of this movie do throw in Mykelti Williamson as a security guard just to give the movie some validity.

Nick (Campo) is the leader of the group and he is the one trying to find out how to break the curse of death that seems to be following everyone who escaped death at the race track. He hunts down the people who escaped and tries to line up the order in which they will probably die. He has to break the sequence of deaths or die trying.

The 3-D effects do create a semblance of uniqueness for this movie. Various means of death and destruction are hurled off the screen and into the audience’s faces. This does create some ducking and weaving among the viewers.

If you have not seen any of the first three movies in this series then you might enjoy the fun of the plot. But if you have seen any or all of the first three then this storyline is becoming too repetitious to be enjoyed. Just a slight deviation from the done to death scripts of the earlier efforts could have added immeasurably to the overall entertainment value of this one.

Also falling in the not so great category is “Post Grad,” a sweet romantic comedy that is better suited to be a TV movie of the week than to be a big screen or DVD event. Alexis Bledel is the star of the film and the supporting cast includes Zack Gilford, Jane (“Glee”) Lynch, Michael Keaton and Carol Burnett. All of that talent can’t elevate this movie to more than it is.

As the movie starts Ryden Malby (Bledel) is graduating from college. She has her life all planned out and that includes a job with a top publishing company in Los Angeles, and her own apartment. When the job falls through Ryden is forced to move back in with her parents (Keaton and Lynch), brother Hunter (Bobby Coleman) and grandmother Maureen (Burnett). 

She gets a lot of moral support from her best friend Adam (Gilford). He tries to tell Ryden how he feels about her but she sees him only as a friend. When she meets her handsome neighbor (Rodrigo Santoro) she totally isolates herself from Adam.

The big questions posed by the movie are whether Ryden will choose the handsome neighbor or the true blue guy who has stood by her though thick and thin. Also will she ever find a job and especially one that suits her talent? As you can see this is not a movie about world hunger or any issues like that. It just concerns life and how it should be lived.

Bledel is okay in the main role. She seems to be playing a role somewhat similar to the one she had on “The Gilmore Girls.” Gilford is able to project Adam’s frustration at not being able to make Ryden care for him. Santoro fully meets the requirements of being the handsome and exotic neighbor next door.

Lynch has the capability of being hilarious in any role (especially as Sue in “Glee”) but in this one she is just the wife and mother and has very little else to do. This is a waste of some major talent. Keaton has a larger role as the father but he just isn’t that good in the part. Burnett still has the ability to make us interested in what she is doing no matter how trivial it is.

Young teenage girls might get something out of this movie but for those over seventeen it will probably be unappealing. And as for guys, forget it! Maybe some long lost Burnett fans will wonder in and watch her do her thing one more time.

The plot, the acting, and everything else make this a movie that would fit perfectly into the mold of movie of the week. It is sweet, amusing and completely simple. It even has a guest star in Carol Burnett.

Speaking of TV, one of the big hits on HBO is “Big Love.” This show about Mormons and polygamy has found a home and a fan base. In the show Bill Paxton plays a man with three wives and eight kids. The wives are played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin. 

Now we have “Big Love: The Complete Third Season” on DVD and it has all ten episodes from this third season. They are jam packed with entertainment and also include some extra bonus material.

If you have been hearing about “Big Love” but haven’t had a chance to see it this is your chance to get acquainted. With the superb acting, the inventive directing, and the sophisticated plots this DVD is sure fire entertainment.

Another popular TV show is “Chuck” and we also have a DVD containing the second season’s episodes. There are twenty-two episodes on the DVD and one is even in 3-D. It is all there in “Chuck: The Complete Second Season.”

Zachary Levi is the star of the show as Chuck and he is perfect for the part of the reluctant special agent. Ryan McPartin, Joshua Gomez and Yvonne Strahovski co-star and they add to the fun. There are extras on the DVD you will like so get this one today. People who love “Chuck” really love “Chuck.” So see what all the excitement is about by getting “Chuck: The Complete Second Season.”

Finally it is time to get serious with the film “Lorna’s Silence.” This is a French film from the acclaimed filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. It tells the story of a young woman who gets talked into a fake marriage and this decision has tragic consequences.

The film is a little depressing but the acting is so good and the story so engrossing that you will leave it satisfied that your time has been spent on worthwhile entertainment. At least it had that effect on me. So give it a chance and pick up a copy of “Lorna’s Silence.”
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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