Big box office numbers, high Nielson’s ratings or even a wide release on 3,000-plus screens are never accurate barometers when in comes to gauging the quality of a film or television/cable series. There’s dozens of motion pictures released each year -- that are packed with A-list actors, screenplays penned by Oscar-winning writers and are directed by legendary filmmakers -- that never see the light of day at any multiplex. Some, though, enjoy a contractual three-day run at a two-screen theater somewhere in suburban Boise, Idaho. But, in these rough economic times, unless a film is a sure-fire hit they can often sit on studio shelves for decades or they can go straight-to-DVD.
Just because you didn’t have to pay a babysitter to spend two hours to watch the kids, so that you could sit in a cramped, noisy movie theater nibbling on stale popcorn, that doesn’t automatically mean a film is not worthy of your attention. Most of the time, these motion pictures (some foreign) simply can’t score North American distribution deals or they have to fight tooth-and-nail against big, summer studio films like
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra,
A Perfect Getaway,
Bruno or
Funny People for coveted time on theater screens. And, nine times out of ten,
Wolfhound is far more exciting than
A Perfect Getaway and
Delgo is twice as entertaining as
G.I. Joe.
Once again, when you head to the video store this weekend or go online to order from Netflix, don’t forget to jot down these five titles and give these DVDs or Blu-rays a peek. As I mentioned before, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.
Magnolia
Thomas Jane as Major Hunter in Mutant Chronicles
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Thomas Jane on Mutant Chronicles
If you thought you’d racked up enough frequent time-traveling miles on your hundreds of cinematic roundtrips to the apocalyptic future (from
Mad Max to
I Am Legend and the
Terminator flicks), there’s one first-class jaunt to the year 2707 you cant miss in
Mutant Chronicles. Loosely based on the role-playing game,
Mutant Chronicles (which had a limited theatrical release) tells the story of a war that rages on between the four biggest corporations on Earth as they battle over the planet’s diminishing resources. During heavy combat, a mystical, ancient seal (that has been buried for centuries) is inadvertently broken, unleashing an army of horrifying necromutants who have been imprisoned deep under the Earth’s surface. If they reach terra firma, a mutant plague will be released — leading to the extinction of the human race. Thomas Jane (
Hung,
The Mist) leads a squad of soldiers who must stop the mutants before they emerge from their subterranean lair. Directed by Simon Hunter, the fascinating and exhilarating
Mutant Chronicles also features an all-star ensemble cast that includes Ron Pearlman (
Hellboy) and John Malkovich (
Changeling).
Thomas Jane, hubby of
Medium leading lady Patricia Arquette, is experiencing a bit of a career renaissance at the moment. The 40-year-old acting veteran (
Dreamcatcher,
Boogie Nights) currently stars in the HBO comedy series
Hung, the ongoing tale of Ray Drecker, a well-endowed, divorced, gym teacher who has decided to market his sizable physical asset to wealthy members of the opposite sex. Already a hit with critics and cable viewers alike,
Hung has just been renewed for a second season and recently scored a number of prestigious industry award nominations.
However, it’s Jane’s incredible performance as 28th Century soldier Major Mitch Hunter, in the nail-biting and thought-provoking
Mutant Chronicles (following his stint as the butt-kickin' superhero in
The Punisher), that will dazzle and amaze science fiction aficionados and fans of heart-pounding and gut-wrenching CGI-driven action/thrillers.
When you do physically demanding action films like Mutant Chronicles or The Punisher, do you spend a lot more time at the gym?“No, not anymore than usual. I do go to the gym. I have a great trainer named Christine Hazelton I work with at Core on La Brea and she’s been my trainer for years. She’s fantastic. With any role as an actor, you say, ‘Okay, I’m a guy who’s an athlete and in shape or I’m a 40-year-old guy who used to be in shape.’ That way, you figure out what parts of your body you need to concentrate on.”
HBO
Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker in Hung
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When you signed on to do Hung, how did you feel knowing you’d have nude scenes?“It was a matter of sort of deciding to be comfortable with it or not. Not being comfortable with it would have created a hell of a lot more problems for myself than being comfortable with it, so I immediately started to let everybody know that I was comfortable with it."
How have you prepared for the scenes when you will have to bare it all in Hung?“I prepared by hiring a good (porno film) fluffer. (laughs) They’re not so easy to find as you would think. One that your wife approves of is also very difficult…Okay, I am my own fluffer.”
What kind of response are you getting from strangers and people who knew you? Are you feeling objectified or has Hung been good for your ego?“The first thing they want to know is if am I really hung. And there’s a lot more crotch staring. I consider myself to be a happily average guy, but there’s a certain amount of objectification. I feel like telling people, ‘My eyes are up here, not below (his waist).’ For some reason, I don't think it’s good for my ego. I think it might give me a complex were I not an alcoholic.” (laughs)
When you were offered the role, how did you explain Hung to your wife, Patricia?“She said, ‘Yeah, great, it’s more science fiction. (laughs) You just did a project called The Mist about aliens invading a grocery store. So, have at it, honey.”
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Mutant Chronicles Blu-ray and DVD bonus features: Audio commentary with Simon Hunter and Ron Perlman, deleted scenes, a load of great featurettes, webisodes, HDNet, trailer and interviews.
Wolfhound
Based on Maria Semenova’s bestselling novel of the same name, and directed by Nikolay Lebedev, this spine-tingling, bloody and compelling Russian epic features actor Aleksanor Bukharov as the last surviving member of a once thriving community of villagers that are brutally murdered. Pulling himself from the brink of death, Wolfhound begins to develop his fighting skills and gets his body and mind in primo shape in order to become fiercest sword-wielding fighter of the land. On a quest to avenge the deaths of those closest to him, Wolfhound also finds himself preparing for a lethal fight against the most bloodthirsty monster that is terrorizing the very country his loves. At times,
Wolfhound (dubbed in English, with the option of hearing the dialogue spoken by the actors in their native Russian dialect) plays like a brutal historical docu-drama (not a bad thing), it’s actually a full-fledged fantasy/action flick packed with massive, heart-stopping battle sequences heightened by seamless, state-of-the-art special effects and eye-popping CGI-created creatures you’ll never forget. Also starring Oksana Akinshina from
The Bourne Supremacy,
Wolfhound is an essential addition to any action/adventure aficionado’s DVD collection.
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The Chaos Experiment
If Val Kilmer is part of an all-star ensemble cast, chances are the film he’s in is at least worthy of watching. That theory is once again proven right with
The Chaos Experiment, and better still, this one is a keeper — it deserves more than just a single viewing, since every time you view it you’ll discover something new each time. A tightly-woven, complex thriller from director Philippe Martinez (
Wake Of Death, Citizen Verdict),
The Chaos Experiment features Kilmer — in a stroke of unconventional but brilliant, inspired casting — as a professor who is slowly losing touch with reality and quickly finds himself spiraling closer to the world of madness. After being disgraced by his scientific peers, he enlists six unsuspecting volunteers into participating in an experiment dealing with global warming. Locked in a room where the temperature is close to hitting the 130 degree mark, the six human guinea pigs will soon be dead. A top-notch race against the clock thriller,
The Chaos Experiment is a fine, nail-biting motion picture that is finally getting the worldwide exposure it’s due on DVD.
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Delgo
Delgo, a reality-crossing, CGI-generated tale, featuring the voices of Val Kilmer, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lou Gossett Jr. and Chris Kattan, crosses every genre category and appeals to every possible demographic group. Simply put,
Delgo is an inventive, hi-tech motion picture marvel. Filled with CGI-created characters, Delgo recounts the fascinating, fictional story of a rebellious, young, Lockian-born teenager (Prinze), who starts up a not-a-very-good-idea friendship with a sweet, sassy Nohrin princess (Hewitt) from another kingdom. Set in a magical world where two civilizations by fear and guided by love, Delgo and the princess have one chance to save their world. But evil steps in, igniting a war between the two kingdoms. Will Delgo save the princess he loves? Will peace be brought to both lands? Watch the amazing CGI animation on the
Delgo DVD for the answers.
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Delgo Bonus Features: Deleted scenes, four featurettes, deleted scenes and audio commentary.
Hippos and Rhinos
Take an inside look into the world of some of the planet’s biggest land mammals — who if we are not careful, could soon become extinct — in this Animal Planet collection of four of their most informative, family-friendly episodes, including Jessica The Hippo, There's A Rhino In My House, Saba And The Rhino's Secret and That's My Baby: Cleo The Hippo. Each segment features a different super-sized animal and their unique story. Tipping the scales at well over a ton,
Hippos And Rhinos provides a playful, unprecedented look at the heavyweight herbivores and the unlikely bonds they can form with humans. From an episode on an orphan hippo rescued by a game ranger and a walk among a group of the endangered black rhino to the rare experience of viewing a hippo giving birth to her first baby in captivity, the
Hippos And Rhinos DVD is a fun and unflinching look at two of the giants of the animal kingdom.
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