Extract

I suppose I probably shouldn't have gone into Extract with such high expectations. I usually try to keep my hopes in check but sometimes that just isn't possible, you know what I mean? There are some writers, directors, and stars that have given me reason to really love their work so that when a new project comes up, I cannot help but get a little excited. Extract is one of those movies. With Mike Judge's last two films, Office Space and Idiocracy, he has positioned himself as a man who knows his comedy and knows how to make a very funny movie (particularly the former). Well, I am not going to go so far as say this is a bad movie, it isn't, it just isn't what I was hoping for. I guess this is what happens when one of your prior films is a classic of sorts. It is hard to return to those heights (nor should he try).

Extract centers around the stress of running a company that you do not feel fully invested in along with a healthy dose of sexual frustration. The problem is that I kept waiting for it to really take off and it never really did. It kept this stead pace of jokes that kept me interested, but the story never really hit home and I did not find any of it to be downright hilarious.

There are a couple of threads that weave their way through the film. You have Joel (Jason Bateman) trying to rekindle things with his wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig), the problem being, if he does no get home before 8 PM, her sweatpants are more effective than a chastity belt. Joel also feels attracted to the new temp at his extract factory, Cindy (Mila Kunis), but he will not cheat on his wife. His buddy, Dean (Ben Affleck) the bartender, suggests the use of a gigolo to induce his wife to cheat and then cheat himself with a clear conscience. Then there is the part about Cindy, who is a con-woman, who takes a job at the factory for her own ulterior motives. The final primary thread concerns a factory worker named Step (Clifton Collins Jr.), who suffered a highly unfortunate accident and is planning on suing the company.

In addition to those main pieces, there are also a few minor threads in the mix to add flavor. These elements include David Koechner as an overly friendly boor of a neighbor who seemingly waits in the bushes to talk your ear off, and a line worker who talks more than works and is suspicious of the Mexican-American co-workers. There is also rumors of the factory being sold circling around the floor, which is manned by an assortment of dysfunctional folks.

The problem is that there is much more set up than there is payoff. The story meanders about, never taking form. Unlike, say, Office Space where it had all of these add characters but everything was more finely focused. This one goes from set up to set up, seeming to head towards a larger picture, but failing to pull back to allow us to see it. So, instead of a comedic whole, we get funny moments, bits and pieces where genius shines through, sequences that threaten to give away the big picture that are cut short before allowing anything to happen.

Mike Judge's direction is fine. There is nothing flashy to it, similar to Kevin Smith (although, Judge is probably the better of the two in this area), but it gets the job done. The problem lies in the writing. It feels like Judge was not sure where he wanted to go or ultimately say with Extract. It is more a series of pieces that would have made for a better series than a film. Still, the good parts and performances make it an enjoyable performance, if not a must see one.

As for the performances, there really is not a bad one in the bunch; yes they are let own by the story development, but they are still fun to watch. Jason Bateman is perfectly cast as the put upon factory owner, just like Mila Kunis is perfect as she pulls of the adorable con, it is very easy to believe them in their roles. Chemistry between the cast members works, and I enjoyed spending time with them. Quite frankly, I would have loved to spend more time with the, especially if it would mean a better look at the tale.

Bottomline. I like this movie, but it is not a great one, it may not even be a good one. It rests squarely on the performers and their ability to give their roles more meaning than he script would call for. Worth checking out, just do not expect Office Space.

Mildly Recommended.

Cold Souls

I went to see Cold Souls only knowing the barest minimum about it. I was not quite sure what to expect; sure, I had my ideas, but not seeing anything from the movie, I was sure to be way off. I was expecting a film that had a strong, but dark, comedic undercurrent as it made a statement about the nature of self and that indefinable element that makes you you and not someone else. I was also expecting to see another strong performance from Paul Giamatti. I was right on the Giamatti front, but when it comes to the substance of said film, I cannot help but feel underwhelmed.

The high concept behind the film is that the soul is a physical thing that can be removed from the body and stored, or even placed into another body. This process, which is never completely explained in the film is used as the backdrop for a central character who is unhappy and looking to make a change in life. The issue revolves around whether that change is due to internal or external causes and whether or not it is something he needs to deal with himself. I think. It could also be about what our souls look like and the wide varieties they come in.

As the film opens, we meet Paul Giamatti (played by Paul Giamatti). He is depressed and feels helpless while performing in the play Uncle Vanya. His agent recommends that he look into this "soul storage" thing as a way to help take the pressure off. So, Paul goes to the extraction and storage offices where he is told by Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn) that, to save on taxes, he can have it shipped to their New Jersey storage facility post-removal.

It goes without saying that Paul goes through with the process (otherwise we would not have a movie). Afterward, Paul begins to think about what he's done, not to mention the fact that it did quite have the desired effect. The facility also offers the renting of other souls and Paul ends up with the soul of a Russian, with very unexpected results.

The story picks up when Paul decides he wants his own soul back only to find it missing. This is when Paul learns that there is a black market in Russia for these disembodied souls, and that is where his has gone. Determined to get his soul, he goes to Russia with Nina, a soul mule for the Russians and the woman who took Paul's across the ocean.

Could Souls is a strange, surreal, film that appears to be directly influenced by the work of Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). It has that sort of strange, off-kilter feel to it, where things are not quite what they seem. First time feature writer/director Sophie Barthes did say that the story was inspired by Russian author Gogol's tale Dead Souls, where a land owner buys the souls of dead serfs.

The film is certainly interesting one. It is one that I am sure will reveal more depth upon multiple viewings. Cold Souls is the sort of film that I think has more to it than meets the eye upon its initial viewing. It will be interesting to revisit this somewhere down the line and see how it holds up and if anything else reveals itself.

With that said, I must say that my initial viewing was a little underwhelming. The performances were fantastic, but the story failed to offer up terribly much. I was expecting a story that had much more to say on the surface. Perhaps that is my fault for bringing those ideas to the table. Even with my reservations, the directing was interesting, taking a slow leisurely approach, allowing everything to unfold slowly revealing itself. It is a considerably different approach then your standard Hollywood release that insists at breakneck editing and a screenplay that explains everything (a note that seems to run counterpoint to my earlier story-related reservations). It is a fine line between too much and too little; fortunately, this had wonderful style to assist in its success.

As for the performances, everything hinges on Paul Giamatti's ability to convey it believably, and he does. The film is played straight with a comedic undercurrent, an approach that likely works better than all out comedy. Paul Giamatti brings a great charisma and talent to the screen. It was fascinating to watch him struggle to find the source of his problems and with his soul problems. It all leads to a quiet conclusion that has a certain sweetness to it.

Bottomline. I had hoped to love this more than I do, but I still admire it for being something different. Giamatti is a joy to watch, and the movie is really quite strange. It is well worth spending a little time with it.

Recommended.

Music Review: Cynic - Traced in Air

Cynic formed in 1987, released their first album, Focus, in 1993, and broke up in 1994 while working on a second album. Their debut has long been considered a technical metal landmark, a collection of songs made by an immensely talented collective that disappeared from the scene all too soon. The band reunited a dozen years after the break up to perform some live dates, and then announced in 2008 that the band would enter the studio to record a follow up to Focus. The Fall of that same year, Traced in Air appeared on store shelves to much fanfare among the metal community as those who anointed Focus with its immortal status were anticipating the arrival of a similar classic, although the kept carefully hidden away the doubts that time and band member changes may have robbed them of that magical chemistry from the early 1990s. Once heard, it seems that all doubts have melted away as Traced in Air has received a large number of highly positive reviews.

It should be noted that until the release of Traced in Air, I had never heard anything from the band. For that matter, I not even heard of them until the last year or so. This allows me to enter into this experience without the added baggage of hopes and expectations fans of Focus had. Of course, it also ensures that I do not have the experience of their prior album to form a bed of comparison from. In any case, I eagerly anticipated the experience that lay before me.

I loaded up the album, pressed play and for an all too brief 32-minutes I was treated to some of the most creative and original music I have heard this year. There is something very special in the way they are able to arrange their music and take the listener on a journey of controlled chaos. If you do not listen you may not get it, it could just sound like a big mass of notes, but when you listen, a new world emerges. It is like those hidden picture images where you have to stare at it for awhile before the image of a sailboat emerges. Pay attention and the instrumental mastery of Cynic makes itself apparent.

Flawlessly produced and beautifully executed, this combination of progressive, metal, jazz, and experimental music is an album to be savored. The band is replete with virtuoso instrumentalists who have plenty of opportunities to show what they can do, all while never falling prey to egotistical displays of excess. There are no rambling jaunts, or overdone solos, everything works toward the benefit of the song at hand.

The title, Traced in Air, is a beautifully poetic way of describing the music. The songs all have a free flowing structure that is as focused as it is sonically freeing. Each song flows as if it were traced in air, open and free, yet amazing dense and layered.

Paul Masvidal is the man behind the guitar leads and vocals, and both are quite exceptional. His voice is soft, not exactly what I was expecting. There is a light quality to it that fits very well over his lead work, which leads the songs down a variety of different paths. Meanwhile, Sean Reinert on drums threatens to steal the show with some very inventive work rivaling just about anyone I've heard. Backing them up are Sean Malone on bass and Tymon Kruidenier on guitar (and also provider of the occasional death growl).

Bottomline. If you like metal, hell, if you like music, truly original music that is not afraid to take chances, do yourself a favor and get this album. You will not be disappointed. I know I'm not, I also know I need to get a copy of Focus and see how this all began.

Highly Recommended.

New Movies Releases: 9/4/09

This week's wide releases -
All About Steve
Extract
Gamer

September is here, Labor Day is here, the end of summer is here (at least in principal). Still, the movies march on. This weekend sees three new films enter the fray and compete for the smller audience money. See anything that catches your fancy? I think the offerings all appear decent, although it is still pretty easy to rank the order I want to see them in. I think the better question is, will you be around to see any of them?

All About Steve. (2009, 98 minutes, PG-13, romantic comedy) Despite the light advertising behind this, I think it looks pretty good. It features two of the bigger comedy stars of the past summer in the suddenly hot Bradley Cooper and the always dependable Sandra Bullock, so that cannot be a bad thing. Next, the concept strikes me as pretty funny. Sandra plays a woman who falls in love with Bradley after a brief date and thinks they are a couple, however, Bradley sees her as a stalker. Funny stuff, no? I do not expect much from it, but could prove to be worth some time.



Extract. (2009, 90 minutes, R, comedy) Mike Judge returns to the big screen with Extract, the first feature on the big screen since Office Space. An argument could be made for Idiocracy, which deserved a bigger release but ended up an a handful of screens for a weekend. Anyway, this one stars Jason Bateman as the owner of a vanilla extract factory. He must deal with work troubles, troubles with his wife (Kristen Wiig), and an attraction to the new temp (Mila Kunis). It looks like vintage Judge. The cast also includes Ben Affleck, Clifton Collins Jr., and JK Simmons.



Gamer. (2009, 98 minutes, R, action) From the twisted minds behind the Crank films comes another high concept feature. This one looks to be as action packed, but not quite as crazy in execution. It actually seems restrained by comparison. The idea is that online gameplay has advanced with the advent of mind control technology. Players take control of actual people (actually prisoners) in war games that are played to the death. Gerard Butler stars as something of a cult figure, star prisoner who has not yet been defeated. Should be fun!



Cold Souls. (2009, 97 minutes, PG-13, comedy) This one opened early in August and has been making the arthouse rounds ever since. This weekend it comes to my area and I am looking forward to it. Paul Giamatti plays and actor named Paul Giamatti. He sees an article that may be the key to his elusive happiness, a company can extract, deep freeze, and store your soul. He undergoes the process and becomes a victim of soul traffiking in the process. He heads off, all the way to Russia in an attempt to retrieve his soul. Sounds awesome.



Also opening this week, but not near me:

• Amreeka
• Carriers
• No Impact man

Box Office Predictions
This weekend looks like it should do decently. It won't be pulling numbers like the middle of summer, but that has to be expected. Labor Day weekend is not know as a powerhouse at the cinema, as all the kids are getting ready to head back to school, just wait for the weekend after. Gamer looks wild enough to pull in the most people this weekend, although I must admit that I am more excited for Extract, which I doubt will do as good.

Here is how I think it could play out.

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Gamer	$18 million
2	All About Steve	$14.5 million
3	The Final Destination	$13 million
4	Inglorious Basterds	$11 million
5	District 9	$7.5 million
6	Halloween II	$6.5 million
7	Extract	$6 million
8	GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra	$5.5 million
9	Julie & Julia	$5 million
10	The Time Traveler's Wife	$3.5 million

Taking Woodstock

1969 saw something amazing happen that has never been duplicated and will never happen again. No, I am not talking about the first time mankind set foot on the moon, nor am I talking about a Mets World Series (that has happened one more time, although who knows when it will happen again). I am referring to the festival that took place in Bethel, NY, the "3 Days of Love & Music" festival. It was a phenomenon that brought the best of the music scene together with a million like-minded individuals celebrating freedom in a field. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be there, especially not having been alive at the time. I have spoken to more than a few who made the mistake of not going and if they had it all to do over again they would have been there. I know I would have made the attempt, in retrospect.

All of that said, director Ang Lee and screenwriter James Schamus have adapted the book by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte, taking us back to 1969 and the events that led up to the concert. It is not so much a movie about the concert itself, as it is about the people and personalities involved that made it happen and what happened to them. It is a sweet natured, light hearted film that is warm and inviting and is sure to make you smile. Watch as the eclectic collection of characters cross your screen adding to the colorful tapestry of the era. It is not really a great film, nor is it a terribly deep one; however, it is still an involving film that you cannot help but enjoy.

Elliot Teichberg (now Elliot Tiber, played by Demetri Martin) is a young interior designer living in New York City. He moves back home with his parents, Jake (Henry Goodman) and Sonia (Imelda Staunton) in White Lake, NY, to help manage and care for their motel, the El Monaco, and also serve as the president of the chamber of commerce. The family is well behind in the mortgage payments and the bank is going to foreclose, thus forcing them out of their home. Elliot has plans to bring in more tourists and hold his annual art and music festival (which amounts to lawn chairs and records) to help make the money needed to pay the mortgage.

The young man ponders his family's future. Jake continues to work around the motel, re-shingling the roof, whatever there is to do. Meanwhile, Sonia runs the place with an iron fist, when a customer complains there are no towels, she points to a sign that says "Towels $1." Then fate steps in, while conversing with the avant garde theater troupe that lives in the barn (featuring Dan Fogler as their leader), he notices a story about a hippie concert that was being kicked out of Wallkill.

That news gives Elliot an idea. You see, he has the permit from the chamber of commerce saying he can put on an arts and music festival. A phone call later and the motel is crawling with men in suits discussing the possibility of staging the show there, led by hippie entrepreneur Michel Lang (Jonathan Groff). Before you know it, the motel is taken over by a mass of planners and construction workers as they set up their offices and prepare the neighboring fields, owned by dairy farmer Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy).

Watching the festival come together is pretty interesting thing. I can honestly say that I never gave any thought to what went into planning the event. Thinking about it now, the logistics must have been a nightmare. Taking Woodstock gives us a glimpse at the preparations, the construction, the promotion, the phone calls, it is all rather crazy. And to think, they did not have he aid of the internet! Still, this is all just backdrop to the people involved.

This is a slice of life type comedy. The story remains backstage and distanced from the actual concert itself. We watch Elliot as he goes about getting the project going and the changes it brings around him. We are ringside as his parents lives change, driven by both an influx of money and revitalization of themselves, spurred by the great influx of people.

How true this is to the actual events, I do not know. I tend to believe that there have been changes here and there, a slight twisting to accommodate the story that Lee wanted to portray. The final product is colorful, sweet, and very laid back. It sort of drifts around the chaos, allowing moments and characters to come through. Elliot finds himself separating himself from his parents, Jake finds himself able to live again, and even connecting with his son in a way he likely never did before. We also meet Michael Lang, who takes everything in stride, always confident that the right outcome will come. There is also a plain talking Vietnam veteran and cross dresser played by Liev Schreiber. There are plenty more along the way just waiting to be discovered.

Bottomline. Fun, interesting, and plays very nicely as counterpoint to the loud and violent movies that often litter the cinematic landscape. It will make you smile, introduce you to interesting characters and give you a different look at one of the most famous concerts ever, an event never to be duplicated.

Recommended.

Deströyer 666 - Defiance

Deströyer 666. The name invokes Satan powered violence, a band whose sole purpose is to drive forward, a blackened war machine, if you will. Formed in 1994, the band has apparently had a mission to deliver pure musical brutality. I say apparently because this is the first I have ever heard them, much less heard of them. The band originates from Australia but have since migrated to a land more befitting their sound, The Netherlands. Then, the band went eerily silent, shown by the large gap in in their discography. Defiance is the band's first release since 2003's EP Terror Abraxas.

The band has a sound that crosses a few boundaries, existing at the union junction of a number metal sub-genres. With this being the case, many fans have dubbed them "war metal," it is a moniker that fits like glove. The name, their crossover style, the lyrical content, and the straight forward manner in which it is delivered falls nicely under that simple term.

If you wish to expand on them a little bit, you will find a large dose of thrash metal, blended with generous amount of black metal, with a sprinkling of power metal for good measure. Despite the presence of a variety of styles, Deströyer 666 never sound like they are trying to forge ahead and create a new genre nor do they feel like they are trying to do anything too hard (besides blasting a hole through your face, that is). There is a timeless quality to the music. It has high production values crossed with a certain live grit factor, a combination that works beautifully for this blackened thrash. It may not quite be a classic release, but it is one I can find myself returning to over the years.

I do not believe I have come across a band quite like Deströyer 666 before. The music sounds surprisingly simple, although I know that is not the case. They make the combination sound easy. They set their eyes on their target, release the moorings and charge through the night until they reach their destination. The thrash is plainly evident as the riffs rip off fast and furious and the drums, with speedy double bass, keep everything surging forward. However, that thrash is tempered by a vocal style that is more in line with black metal, along with a blackened spit and polish on the sound of the instruments. The music is peppered with a keen sense of melody that only adds to the black metal portion of the crossover.

The album gets off to a roaring start with "Weapons of Conquest," it is right here in the first song that the tone is set for the rest of the album. It is driving, heavy, and melodic. It falls right in line with the "war metal" branding. I also knew right from the start that this was going to be a solid album.

Other standouts include: "A Stand Defiant," "A Thousand Plagues," and "A Sermon to the Dead."

The more I listen to it, the more infectious it gets and the more layers are revealed. It may initially sound pretty straight forward upon the first pass, but as you begin to dig below the surface, the black and thrash layers begin to separate and you will find the brutal thrash element, the melodic black element, the integration of the guitar riffs, lead breaks, drums, and vocals. It is fine song craft that any fan of metal will be able to see and recognize.

Recommended.

Infestation

The combination of horror and comedy has been one of the premiere go to mash-ups over the past few decades. Some fail to deliver on any large scale, like Eight Legged Freaks, while others win over legions of fans and go on to be cult favorites. For good examples of the genre, look no further than Evil Dead II, Dead Alive, and the recent Shawn of the Dead. Now comes Infestation that seeks to tread similar ground. It does turn out to be an entertaining movie, but I doubt that it will gain the status of the combo-genres high water marks. I do suspect that it will gather a select group to itself while others will fail to see the point. I will ultimately fall towards to the former, although I doubt it will ever be my go to movie for horror comedy.

As the film opens, we catch up with Cooper (Christopher Marquette of Fanboys and Freddy vs. Jason) and he is running late for work. He runs into the office, quickly slips into his cubicle and immediately pretends to be on the phone as he gets word that the boss wants to see him. We all know how this goes, he goes in, tries to worm his way out and she fires him.

Now, this is where things begin to get interesting. You see, this opening bit is not really the story at all, but does a couple of things for us. First, it introduces us to out hero, Cooper, the one character we will be spending nearly every moment with. Second, it introduces him as something of a slacker who is not living up to his potential, thus giving us the arc of a young man finding his way and discovering purpose and meaning in his life. Yes, lofty goal for a B-movie, and quite a common one, but there it is.

The interesting moment comes just after the firing, you here a loud noise, Cooper and his now former boss grab their ears and crumple to floor as the screen goes black. Moments later, lights come up and you are in the office and everyone is covered in white webbing. One begins to move and Cooper emerges from it. Within moments he is attacked by a giant bug that is intent on rewebbing our hero. Fortunately, our slacker may be a little more resourceful than we initially thought.

Anyway, he rips the webbing off a few people and they wake up from their web-induced slumbers. They immediately try to figure out what is going on, find more bugs around outside and attempt to hash out a plan.

Honestly, there is not much more than that. I did not find Infestation to be particularly scary or particularly funny, but it is entertaining. There really is not all that much to it. The group swells and shrinks as people come and go and bug attacks happen, they move in a general path that makes cinematic sense, but there is not much in the way of development of plot or characters. If you want an explanation of where the bugs came from, you'd best look elsewhere. It is a truly anomalous situation. Sure, we do get to see Cooper discover an internal strength he didn't have at the beginning of the piece. However, it never really leads anywhere. In actuality, it sort of feels like a beginning, as if there is more to tell in this world.

It is a movie that has a direction, but it does not go all out for it. Why it fails to completely satisfy, I am not sure. It is sort of like Cooper at the start of the movie, it wants to have fun, it wants to offer a little excitement for a dull day, but does not want to try to hard to achieve it. I realize some of the reason may be budgetary, as this is definitely at the lower end of the pay scale, notable in the not quite convincing CG effects. Writer/director Kyle Rankin has some ideas, I just wish they were more fully realized. Yes, I know it feels derivative, but I still had fun with it.

The performances are generally decent. Chris Marquette is a likable presence, although I am not really sure he has the presence of a lead, at least not yet. Still, I find him to pull of the role decent enough. His work is bolstered when we run into Ray Wise as Ethan, Coopers father. Now here is a guy with a commanding presence. The rest of the cast is filled out by Brooke Nevin as the love interest Sara, Kinsey Packard as the high-heel sporting Cindy, Wesley Thompson as Albert, and E. Quincy Sloan as Hugo.

Bottomline. I suspect you already know whether or not this is going to be a movie for you. I enjoyed it well enough, it just isn't up to snuff with other films of this type. I think it does have some replay value, but it is limited, just like the scope.

Mildly Recommended.


The DVD and Blu-ray will be available in the UK on September 7, 2009 and on October 13, 2009 in the United States.

Box Office Update 8/28-8/30: The Final Destination is the Top of the Box

The Final Destination roared its way to the top of the box office in its debut weekend. This could be the first step towards a fifth outing; I mean, sure they sort of billed this one as the last, but where there is money to me made, there are suits wanting to grab it. On the other hand, the number may just be inflated because of the higher 3D screening ticket prices. Well, I did my part in padding out its box office leading $27 million. It's too bad too, as this movie is not very good, it relies heavily on the 3D gimmick and did nothing in the story department. Sure, I smiled a bit, but forgot it all on the way to the exit.

Slipping one spot and 49% from last week is Quentin Tarantino's latest opus, Inglourious Basterds. I saw this last week and loved it. It is a fantastic flight of fancy into an alternate World War II in a way that only Tarantino can deliver. I only wish there was something more to the emotional quotient. Still, considering that Brad Pitt is in less than half the movie and more than half of it is subtitled, I am impressed with its success this weekend. I hope this means it will hang on for awhile, it really is an entertaining film.

Coming in third place is the film that would have taken the top spot had it not had the challenge of going head to head with another horror film. In either case the resulting reaction would likely have been the same. In the harsh light of Monday morning, much hate is being unloaded upon Halloween II. However, I loved it and I have found myself on the weak side of the full court press. I still say that love it or hate it, Rob Zombie has made an interesting film that is sure to induce a visceral reaction.

District 9 still has some gas in it, finishing fourth and nearing the century mark. This is a brilliant film that anyone who loves movies should go see. I am very happy to see it having the success it is having, but come on, it can do better! Get out there and tell your friends. Alien invasions, social awareness, interesting characters, it is just all around great!

So far as the bottom half of the charts go, all of the films had fairly strong holds. No film suffered a precipitous drop off. They were all steady, meaning there is not much to say about them. We will have to wait and see if this holds next weekend.

Next weekend will see the team behind Crank return to the big screen with Gamer starring Gerard Butler. We also get to see Bradley Cooper and Sandra Bullock in All About Steve. Finally, we get to see Mike Judge's latest creation Extract, which looks to be hilarious and stars Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis.

Three movies dropped off the top ten this week: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (11), The Ugly Truth (14), and The Goods: Live Hard. Sell Hard. (17).

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	The Final Destination	$27,408,309	$27,408,309	1
2	1	Inglourious Basterds	$19,303,653	$73,022,841	2
3	N	Halloween II (2009)	$16,349,565	$16,349,565	1
4	2	District 9	$10,270,435	$90,383,712	3
5	3	G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra	$7,715,572	$132,151,954	4
6	5	Julie & Julia	$7,035,675	$70,628,063	4
7	4	The Time Traveler's Wife	$6,452,270	$47,900,418	3
8	6	Shorts	$4,511,345	$13,206,697	2
9	N	Taking Woodstock	$3,457,760	$3,457,760	1
10	7	G-Force	$2,824,808	$111,780,350	6

Box Office Predictions Recap
So close and yet so far. This week's guesses seemed to go relatively well. I was sad to see Halloween II not open as high as I expected, but I was happy to see Inglourious Basterds do better than I was expecting in its second weekend out. Next weekend will be a bit trickier to guesstimate as Labor Day tends to be a little slow as the kids are all getting ready to go back to school.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
1	1	The Final Destination	$27,408,309	$26 million
3	2	Halloween II (2009)	$16,349,565	$22 million
2	3	Inglourious Basterds	$19,303,653	$16 million
4	4	District 9	$10,270,435	$10 million
5	5	G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra	$7,715,572	$7.5 million
7	6	The Time Traveler's Wife	$6,452,270	$5 million
6	7	Julie & Julia	$7,035,675	$4.75 million
8	8	Shorts	$4,511,345	$3.5 million
9	9	Taking Woodstock	$3,457,760	$2 million
11	10	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	$2,466,423	$1.5 million

DVD Pick of the Week: TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles, and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

This week there was no single title that jumped out at me. However, there is a trio of compilations coming out that look fantastic, and if I didn't already own many of the titles I would be jumping all over them.

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Murder Mysteries (The Maltese Falcon / The Big Sleep / Dial M for Murder / The Postman Always Rings Twice). This is the set most likely to find its way to my collection, seeing as I only have two of the films, The Maltese Falcon and Dial M for Murder. This a really nice collection. I am a particular fan of Maltese Falcon, which is worth the cost of this set on its own (just $20 at Amazon). If you are looking for some classic mysteries, you cannot go wrong with this set.

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Science Fiction (2001 A Space Odyssey / Soylent Green / Forbidden Planet / The Time Machine). If murder mysteries are not your thing, perhaps science fiction is. This set gives a nice cross section of classic science fiction, with the undeniable classic 2001, the fantastic Shakespeare in space of Forbidden Planet, the Heston romp Soylent Green, and the HG Wells adaptation The Time Machine. A variety of styles, all well worth your time.

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Horror (House of Wax / The Haunting / Freaks / Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Continuing the genre theme is this horror set, with the great Vincent Price in House of Wax, a classic haunting tale with The Haunting, the controversial Freaks (which employed actual circus freaks, and is a particularly haunting film), and Lon Chaney in the great story of Jeckyll and Hyde. It is so hard to go wrong with these releases.

Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season (also Blu-ray). Cross Buffy and the X-Files and you may get something like Supernatural. The main arc that has thread its way through the first four seasons is set to wrap up in the upcoming season, but there is room to move forward should the show get renewed. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles play demon hunting brothers caught in a war between Heaven and Hell. It is a lot of fun to watch as the big picture tale has developed past a monster of the week format. This is a show that you should definitely look into.

Heroes: Season 3 (also Blu-ray). I loved this show during its first season, but it seemed to lose its way in the second. The third switched everything up again and appeared to get the show back on the right track. Will I be purchasing season three? Not right away, perhaps down the line somewhere if season four continues the upward trend.

Gladiator (Blu-ray). This is a wonderful film and one of the first to bear Paramount's "Sapphire Series" tag, but it also looks like a title that the more discerning home video advocate may want to avoid. Word is spreading that the transfer is sub par and one of the worse high definition transfers yet. I have not seen it and cannot judge, but there is enough buzz to make me wait it out.

Braveheart (Blu-ray). This is the other title to come out under the "Sapphire Series" banner and does not seem to be afflicted with the bad buzz that Gladiator has. Perhaps it is time to revisit Scotland.

State of Play (also Blu-ray). This is a pretty good one. It shows the power of the pen as Russell Crowe seeks to help an old college friend, now senator, caught in the middle of the fray. Is he doing the right thing? Are the right people being protected? Not a great film, but definitely a solid thriller and worth a rental.

Rescue Me: Season Five, Volume One. One of the best and most underrated shows on television, this firefighter drama has announced that it will end with the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Dennis Leary stars as a seriously troubled firefighter on a show he co-created in honor of the many firefighters he counts as friends. It is a wild show, you never know what may happen.

Earth (also Blu-ray). This documentary did well when it was on theater screens earlier this year. I never did get around to seeing it, but it did look pretty good. It follows a polar bear family, and elephant family, and a whale family on their migratory pattern. Should look great on Blu-ray.

Sugar (also Blu-ray). This looks like a good one. A young Dominican ball player comes to the US to play minor league ball in a way to save his family back home. The name is derived from the man's nickname, Azucar, which translates to "sugar."