RICKY GERVAIS, GREG KINNEAR AND TÉA LEONI STAR IN THE MOST SPIRITED ROMANTIC COMEDY OF THE SEASON

Debuts on DVD and Blu-ray December 28, 2008 with Exclusive Bonus Features

HOLLYWOD, CALIF. – Ghost Town is a “hilarious romantic comedy” (Time) arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on December 28, 2008 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Emmy® winner Ricky Gervais (“The Office,” Stardust), Oscar® nominee Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine, Baby Mama) and Téa Leoni (Spanglish, Fun with Dick and Jane) star in this “clever, heartfelt and funny” (“Entertainment Tonight”) tale about a man, a woman and a ghost. The feel-good comedy of the season, Ghost Town is a perfect pick-me-up for the post holiday blues.

Ricky Gervais is Bertram Pincus, a New York City dentist with the people skills of a barracuda. When a routine surgery goes awry, Pincus is pronounced dead, but miraculously revived seven minutes later. The ill-mannered Manhattanite suffers only one lasting after-effect: the ability to see and speak with the dead. When word gets out in the spirit community, Pincus is irritated to discover he’s the go-to-guy for every phantom with unfinished business in the city. At the forefront of the ghostly mob is recently deceased Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), who is determined to stop the remarriage of his widow, Gwen (Téa Leoni). The laughs unfold when the prickly and romantically inexperienced Pincus, smitten with Gwen, tries to woo her away from her betrothed—with hysterically awkward results.

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Movie Info:
Writer: John Hughes
Director: Howard Deutch
Cast: Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, Annie Potts, James Spader, Andrew McCarthy, Andrew Dice Clay, Gina Gershon
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release:February 28, 1986
DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon, Wal-Mart: $9.86

John Hughes is the undisputed king of 80s movies. He revitalized the high school drama and to this day no one has done it in a more memorable fashion than he did. I often find myself missing the days of such great brat pack films as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and St. Elmo’s Fire, so when the I Love the 80s pack came out, the press release that I originally read made me smile. We did not receive all of the I Love the 80s pack DVDs to review. We were sent a small selection of movies including Top Gun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and obviously, Pretty in Pink.

This would be the third Hughes film that Molly Ringwald had a big part in. These days, Ringwald is playing the mom of a pregnant teenager rather than playing the teen herself. This has a way of making us 80s kids feel a little bit older, but that is beside the point. Pretty in Pink remains one of those movies that will always make me smile. Years later it just sleighs me that Jon Cryer still looks exactly like Duckie.

While this pack is probably a long time coming, considering the amount of great 80s movies out there, this particular DVD probably isn’t going to be necessary to fans that already have the “Everything’s Duckie” Edition. The Duckie Edition, which includes numerous special features, will probably end up being a better deal for the true Pretty in Pink fan. This release, which is a pleasure to watch, does not offer the depth of the former release though, so if you have that one don’t go out of your way to pick this up. If you’re just out to watch the movie though, this should work nicely.

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Writers: Daniel D. Davis
Directors: Christopher N. Rowley
Cast: Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen,Tom Skerritt, Christine Baranski, Victor Rasuk, Tom Amandes, Tom Wopat
Rating: PG
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 24, 2008

I’m not overly fond of the sentimental, chick-friendly flicks that so many men try to get out of watching with their girlfriends. While Bonneville has that chick-flick vibe, it also has big name actors. Seldom have I found a Kathy Bates movie I didn’t like. With her résumé including movies like Fried Green Tomatoes and Misery, it’s hard not to like Kathy in any of her roles. Now that she’s getting older, she’s being asked to play more mature roles.

The role she plays in Bonneville is rather spunky. The movie will appeal to mainly women, but it also tells a story that many men will find interesting. I don’t really want to classify this as a chick flick, because it’s not your standard, Cameron Diaz, lame-o chick flick. The story has depth. Rather, it is a sentimental journey of the human spirit. I enjoyed Bonneville not only because it had a story to tell, but also because the acting was flawless, the cast was stellar, and the movie made sense. Older individuals will be able to relate to this story, and as I age, I find myself asking the questions that are brought up through the story told by Daniel D. Davis.

Release Information:
Bonneville premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2006. For some reason, this film seemed to sit on the shelf for the past two years, though it did make two appearances at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema in France and the Film by the Sea Festival in September of 2007. On February 29, 2008, Bonneville had a limited U.S and Canadian theatrical release. That brings us to today.

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Writer: George Gallo
Director: George Gallo
Cast: Meg Ryan, Selma Blair, Antonio Banderas, Colin Hanks
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date:June 17, 2008

Two things before I begin. Number one, I absolutely loathe this movie. When I say that, let me clarify by saying that I would cut off my leg, roast it, and eat it, before I had to watch this again. Number two, what happened to Meg Ryan? How do you go from When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Doors to this? Meg Ryan has been in plenty of great movies, so it’s sad to see her revert to such unwatchable drivel.

I can watch just about anything. That, in essence, is the job of a reviewer. I have to be able to watch good and bad and convey my feelings for whatever it is, either way. Watching this movie made me want to take it out of the player and put it in my driveway so that I could run over it to ensure that no one else had to live through the mental anguish of watching this film. I never want to see it again. In fact, if I pass it while looking for something to watch on cable, I may go into shock and end up needing psychiatric treatment as a result of severe trauma.

Release Information:
I don’t recall this movie ever being mentioned prior to the press release, which explained the premise of the movie. I didn’t find the premise to be terribly exciting and I am generally not a romantic comedy fan, but I like Meg Ryan, so I wanted to give this a chance. I suspect that when people find this in the $5 bin at Walmart they will make the same mistake that I did. Unfortunately, all of the talent in the world cannot make a crappy, poorly-written script into a movie. Furthermore, I am curious to know if these stars even read the script before they signed. I am thinking something must be in their past that forced them to make this movie against their will. This is just a theory, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was right.

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Writer: Goran Dukic, Etgar Keret
Director: Goran Dukic
Cast: Patrick Fugit, Shannyn Sossamon, Shea Whigham, Tom Waits, Will Arnett, Leslie Bibb, John Hawkes, Mikal P. Lazarev
Rating: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: March 25, 2008

I’d seen multiple previews for Wristcutters: A Love Story on other DVD releases by Lionsgate. My initial thought was that I wanted to see it. I knew it was an independent film and while initially, the premise sounded original and the trailer looked decent, I know that Lionsgate isn’t always the greatest when it comes to their independent flicks. I have been let down by plenty of horror movies in the past (not that this is a horror flick), that bear the Lionsgate label. Still, I’ve had moments where I’ve actually enjoyed a release and those moments are always excellent. I just hoped the film lived up to my expectations and the anticipation I felt in wanting to see it.

Suicide is a funny thing. It’s not funny ha-ha. It’s funny ironic. When you think about suicide you think about troubled, sometimes tortured souls. You think about the tragically ill, just trying to find some piece of mind. You have to ask yourself a question about whether suicide is really acceptable by whatever powers that be are out there. Does God, Zeus, Athena, Buddha, the Flying Cow with horns or whatever you worship, accept the fact that suicide occurs? Do the powers that be punish you for your suicide attempt? Christians sure seem to think so, but do those who kill to escape pain face as much punishment as those who kill to get out of a shitty life situation?

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Writers: Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges
Directors: Peter Hedges
Cast: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson, Marlene Lawston, Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney
Rating: PG 13
Studio: Focus Features
Release Date: March 11, 2008

At the heart of things, Dan in Real Life is a romantic comedy that includes family drama to make the movie more interesting and less vomit-worthy. If you like romantic comedies or family drama-comedies this is an automatic in for you. Steve Carell is naturally funny and he works well as Dan.

There are many big name stars in this, which has helped this movie to go even further than it would have otherwise. I had a hard time with this initially. I saw a trailer and wanted to see the movie instantly. Time went by though and as it did my interest waned. Once I finally had the chance to see the movie, for this review, I was no longer that interested in seeing it. It wasn’t that I expected it to be bad, it was just a movie that I felt would have little impact on me, being that I am not a huge romantic comedy fan and as subtle as the undertones are, romantic comedy is written all over Dan in Real Life.

My rules for romantic comedies are firm. They need to be something I will remember and they need to be something I will love for years to come. Otherwise, they are a waste of time for me. Movies like When Harry Met Sally and An Affair to Remember are instant classics for me. They are things that I can watch over and over. There are very few romantic comedies that are watched for more than review purposes by me. After seeing Dan I cannot say this is one that I will watch numerous times again, but I suppose if nothing else is on, it will do in a pinch.

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