DVD Spotlight

By Joe Galm

College Road Trip

Going into this film with low expectations is a good idea. Surprisingly, the first fifteen minutes are filled with such solid family entertainment that all subsequent scenes feel muted and out of place. Within those fleeting early moments of competence there are good character and premise development as well as a handful of somewhat funny running gags that accompany the picture throughout the duration. However, the rest of the film does little to sustain the tempo that the opening sets.

Martin Lawrence, who fits quite well as an over-protective father, does his best to keep the movie’s head above water but it quickly circles the drain in a sea of repetitive bits and predictable scenarios. Also, I’d be a bit amiss if I didn’t comment that a film with this title is indeed rated G - so expect any realistic characterizations of college life to be thrown overboard.

College Road Trip performed pretty consistently in theatres and was able to grab $45.4 million domestically. This summer will also witness another entry into the collegiate genre titled simply College and it's rated R for for pervasive crude and sexual content, nudity, language, drug and alcohol abuse. Now that’s more like it!

Distributor: Disney
Cast: Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symone and Donny Osmond
Director: Roger Kumble
Screenwriters: Emi Mochizuki, Carrie Evans, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
Producers: Louanne Brickhouse, Kristin Burr and Andrew Gunn
Genre: Family comedy
Rating: G
Running time: 85 min.

Step Up 2: The Streets

It was not long ago that South Park did an episode dedicated to embarrassing the creators of the notoriously bad 2004 offering You Got Served. I can only speculate that director Jon Chu has seen (and loved) this episode because the plot of Step Up 2: The Streets plays almost verbatim to it.

Streets involves a morally astray young coed named Andie (Briana Evigan) who, while attending a performing arts school, gathers a gang of roustabouts to dance against her former “street” crew. Clichés are everywhere in this one. That being said, the public took to The Streets and made it an international success with a worldwide gross of $143 million. Look for more films that dance to the beat of the same drum sometime soon.

Distributor: Buena Vista
Cast: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam G. Sevani, Black Thomas, Telisha Shaw
Director: Jon Chu
Writers: Toni Ann Johnson and Karen Barna
Producers: Erik Feig, Jennifer Gibgot, Adam Shankman and Patrick Wachsberger
Genre: Dance film/drama
Rating: PG-13 for language, some suggestive material and brief violence.
Running time: 98 min.

The Bank Job

I’m fairly certain I have seen this film before. Director Roger Donaldson presents us with a heist flick that’s “based on true events” yet it feels as if he’s borrowed from quite a few of his predecessors. Sadly, he fails to capture a balance of stylistic and narrative originality between the likes of Snatch and The Italian Job and we are left with a flat, confused picture.

Of course, lead Jason Statham holds his own against the uneven material and is as charming and charismatic as ever. He heads a grouping of Usual Suspects caliber thugs that bumble and stumble their way into one of the more infamously successful robberies in the history of England.

Despite making a fairly respectable $30 million at the US box office, no sequel is planned, which is surprising given the fact that Statham seems to be all about sequels (Crank 2, The Transporter 3, and The Brazilian Job are all in the works).

Distributor: Lionsgate
Cast: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Richard Lintern, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, Peter Bowles, Keeley Hawes, Colin Salmon, James Faulkner, Sharon Maughan, Don Gallagher, Gerard Horan, Craig Fairbrass, David Suchet, Alki David, Michael Jibson and Georgia Taylor
Director: Roger Donaldson
Screenwriters: Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
Producers: Steven Chasman and Charles Roven
Genre: Thriller
Rating: R for sexual content, nudity, violence and language
Running time: 110 min.