DVD: Kung Fu Hustle

What would the late Bruce Lee have to say about Steven Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle? “It’s no Enter The Dragon.” Maybe not, but KFH manages to hold its own - so well, in fact, that it received 26 nominations (including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film) and 17 awards at a slew of international film festivals when it was released in 2004. Set in 1940s Shanghai, KFH is the story of Sing (Chow), a pitiable would-be gangster with high hopes of joining the city’s most notorious crew, Axe Gang. But a series of events finds Sing going toe-to-toe with the powerful gang, leading the unlikely hero to discover his inner kung fu master. If you think Drunken Master beats Rush Hour any day of the week, then Kung Fu Hustle is like the Jackie Chan movie you’ve been waiting for, sans Jackie Chan. Check out the DVD before KFH 2 rolls out in ‘08.

WWW.SONYPICTURES.COM/HOMEVIDEO

DVD: Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas

Perhaps you missed Bickford Shmeckler’s Cool Ideas when it, um, wasn’t released on the big screen, but have no fear, because this August you’ll have the opportunity to experience Bickford on DVD. An A (and B) -list cast features Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Saved!), Olivia Wilde (The Black Donnellys, The Girl Next Door), Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby Doo) and John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle). Fugit stars as college student Bickford Shmeckler, whose journal of unbelievably awesome theories and ideas is stolen by his smoking hot classmate Sarah Witt (Wilde), effectively altering life as he knows it. Now, Bickford has to channel all that nerd-juice into a plan of action to get his book back. Make sure to check out the exclusive Dungeons and Dragons bonus feature. It’s what all the cool kids will be talking about this summer.

WWW.SCREENMEDIAFILMS.COM



PHOTO COURTESY OF SCREEN MEDIA FILMS

DVD: Smokin' Aces

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Simply put, Smokin’ Aces is Pulp Fiction meets Saving Private Ryan – if the objective hadn’t been so much rescuing Private Ryan as it was tracking down and killing him. With an A-List cast, Smokin’ Aces features excellent performances by Ryan Reynolds (yes, we are as surprised as you to see Van Wilder coming into his own), Jeremy Piven (as Buddy “Aces” Israel, the powder-nosed, Vegas illusionist with a $1 million bounty on his head), Ray Liotta, Alicia Keys, Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Jason Bateman (who has a small but ingenious role), and even a cameo by Lost’s Matthew Fox. The long list of characters and complex web of relationships á la The Usual Suspects might seem confusing at first, but before you realize that you’re not totally sure what’s going on, the movie is over and it all makes sense. With everything you could possibly want – violence, drugs, hookers and mobsters – we venture to say Smokin’ Aces is one of the best movies thus far in ‘07. And it gets better every time you watch it, so copping the DVD is definitely the way to go.

BUY SMOKIN' ACES ON DVD MAY 15TH

WWW.UNIVERSALPICTURES.COM

DVD: The Messengers

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA / SCREEN GEMS / GHOSTHOUSE PICTURES

Although this horror flick didn’t break any records when it was released in early 2007, The Messengers did hold down the top spot at the box office over Superbowl weekend and was generally popular among horror fans. The Messengers (which stars Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller and Panic Room’s Kristen Stewart) tells the story of the Solomon family and the events that transpire after forces of darkness begin to infiltrate their formerly tranquil North Dakota farm. Special features on the DVD include a featurette on the making of the film, interactive commentary with the actors and more. And don’t be skeptical about the film’s fright factor just because it’s rated PG-13; kid-approved movies are allowed to be terrifying – they just can’t contain excessive nudity or profanity. Which totally makes perfect sense.


BUY THE MESSENGERS ON DVD APRIL 3RD

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