Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in "Jersey Girl"
courtesy of Walt Disney Home Entertainment
"Ben Affleck and the Jersey Girl"

Ben Affleck's movie "Jersey Girl," which is now out on video, actually isn't half bad. No one went to see it when it played in movie theaters. That was because they were still mad at Ben over the whole J-Lo fiasco. Never has a busted relationship so impacted the careers of the couple involved.

In the movie Jennifer Lopez plays Ben's wife, but she dies in the first few minutes of the movie. After that Ben is left as a daddy raising a little girl who is a handful. George Carlin lends a hand and some advice as Ben's poppa. Liv Tyler pops up as a potential girlfriend.

Raquel Castro plays the daughter, the "Jersey Girl" of the plot, and she is really cute. She actually looks like a cross between Affleck and Lopez. Ah, the child who might have been!

Don't write off "Jersey Girl" as another Ben Affleck failure. Take a chance and watch it. You might be surprised at how entertaining it is.

Kevin Smith is the director of "Jersey Girl" and he is best known for the film "Clerks," which introduced the world to Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Meewes and Kevin Smith). These slackers quickly became audience favorites and inspired many more adventures on their part.

The film concerned one day in the life of a convenience store clerk and his friend who is the video store clerk. Nothing much happens to them but what does is funny. It is the Jerry Seinfeld approach again as the film is a lot about nothing.

It has been ten years since "Clerks" first appeared so you can now get the 10th anniversary edition of the movie on DVD with a bunch of extras.

Just as "Jersey Girl" isn't as entertaining as people at first predicted it to be, the same is true of "The Punisher." It's not as good as they hoped, but not as bad as people said it was. It, and "Jersey Girl," are video viewer movies.

In "The Punisher" Thomas Jane is an FBI Agent whose family is massacred by a gang belonging to a crime boss played by John Travolta. Jane escapes death and comes back seeking revenge. He "punishes" those responsible for the crime against his family.

Laura Elena Herring plays Travolta's wife; Samantha Mathis plays Jane's wife; and Rebecca Romijn Stamos plays a woman who enters Jane's life at a later time. That's a lot of female talent to match the testosterone being flung about by the male stars.

This movie is exciting but somehow doesn't connect on a personal level. You can enjoy the story but you never get emotionally involved with Jane and his situation. Of course any film with John Travolta has to be above average but this is not one of Travolta's best.

There were twenty-two episodes in the third season of "Alias" and they are all included in the DVD package titled "Alias Season 3." This is the season where Sydney (Jennifer Garner) wakes up to find she has lost memory of the past two years.

She also discovers that her true love Vaughn (Michael Vartan) has found someone else. How's that for being true blue! But don't count these two out as a couple. There are still sparks aplenty still glowing and growing.

The DVD has the extras like the "bloopers" which are everyone's favorites. And there are another hundred minutes or so of additional material to add to your "Alias" enjoyment.

With the rise in popularity of Poker playing, the film "The Rounders" has been re-released on DVD with a lot of poker playing tips and guides. The movie was all about playing poker and starred Matt Damon and Edward Norton as two gamblers.

The "celebrity" poker games on TV have heightened America's interest in the game and make it the perfect time to watch this movie and the "extras." Watch and enjoy!

Every week needs a horror flick to keep things interesting and this week's video in that genre is "Decoys." Corey Sevier stars as a student who meets some coeds who look like they belong in the Playboy Mansion, not the local dorm. But then he finds out these babes are "aliens" but of course he can't convince anyone of this fact.

This movie is sexy, silly and scintillating. It is R rated and works to earn that rating, so it isn't a horror flick for the family - just the adults.

The kids can watch "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: Puzzles and Picnics." There are three episodes on this video which highlight the value of making friends for your child. It is all kid-friendly and kid-entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

©2004 Jackie K. Cooper

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