OnVideo AUGUST Video Reviews


OnVideo logo

OnVideo AUGUST Video Reviews


photo COUNTERFEITERS, THE
The true story of Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), a swindler who made a name for himself as Berlin's "King of the Counterfeiters." However, his life of women and easy money is cut short when he's arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. With the German army on the verge of bankruptcy, Sorowitsch makes a sobering deal with his captors: in exchange for a comfortable bed, good food and fair treatment, Sorowitsch, along with the other hand-picked specialists, must counterfeit bank notes to fund the Nazi war effort. If he does as they say, he lives another day. If he rebels, he faces the same fate as the rest of the camp's prisoners. But if he lives, will he be able to live with himself? Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film. In German with English subtitles.

Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky. Stars: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, August Zirner. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Drama, Box office gross: $5.303 million, Sony. Available: 8/5.

3
stars goback




HANNAH MONTANA/MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
photo Miley Cyrus performs her sold-out "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" on the big screen in a special Disney Digital 3-D presentation. " The filmed version of the concert tour was be shot in state-of-the-art 3-D at several venues during the upcoming 54-city tour, which began in St. Louis on October 18th. Cyrus, the 14-year old singing sensation and star of Disney Channel's hit series, performs both as a solo artist and as her hugely popular television character, Hannah Montana.

Director: Bruce Hendricks. Stars: Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Kenny Ortega, Billy Ray Cyrus. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: G, 74 min., Music, Box office gross: $65.280 million, Disney. Available: 8/19.

3
stars goback




photo NIM'S ISLAND
Nim Rusoe (Abigail Breslin) lives on a deserted island with her scientist father Jack (Gerard Butler) and her best friends: Selkie, a sea lion; Fred, a bearded dragon lizard and Galileo, a plucky pelican. But when Jack goes missing at sea and the island is "invaded," Nim reaches out via e-mail to the adventurous author of her favorite books (Jodie Foster), and together, each discovers what it takes to truly become the hero of your own life story.

Director: Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett. Stars: Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 95 min., Family Adventure, Box office gross: $45.256 million, Fox. Available: 8/5.

3
stars goback




PROM NIGHT
photo A remake of the 1980 horror film that starred Jamie Lee Curtis as one of a group of teen girls stalked by a masked killer. Here Brittany Snow takes over the role as Donna, whose senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, one of magic, beauty, and love. But then the night turns from magic to murder at the hands of a sadistic, obsessed killer who wants the kids to pay for an indiscretion in their past.

Director: J.S. Cardone. Stars: Brittany Snow, Dana Davis, Jessica Troup, Scott Porter, Collins Pennie, Kelly Blatz, Idris Elba, Jonathan Schaech, Jessalyn Gilsig, Kellan Lutz, Craig Susser. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Horror, Box office gross: $43.819 million, Sony. Available: 8/19.

2
stars goback



photo REDBELT
Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code. Terry and his wife Sonda struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy between an off-duty officer and a distraught lawyer puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry's life dramatically, introducing him to a world of promoters and movie stars. In order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.

Director: David Mamet. Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alice Braga, Tim Allen, Emily Mortimer, Rodrigo Santoro, Rebecca Pidgeon, Randy Couture. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Drama, Box office gross: $2.333 million, Sony. Available: 8/26.

2
stars goback




SMART PEOPLE
photo Professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) might be imperiously brilliant, monumentally self-possessed and an intellectual giant -- but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he's as downright flummoxed as the next guy. His teenaged daughter (Ellen Page) is an acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad's misery-loving footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne'er-do-well brother (Thomas Haden Church) has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can't seem to find passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian Literature in which he's an expert, it seems Lawrence is sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age. When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay at just about the same time as he accidentally encounters his former student Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker), the circumstances cause him to stir from his deep, deep freeze, with often comical, sometimes heartbreaking, consequences for himself and everyone around him.

Director: Noam Murro. Stars: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes, Christine Lahti. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Comedy-Drama, Box office gross: $9.496 million, Miramax. Available: 8/12.

2
stars goback




photo STREET KINGS
Keanu Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD Vice Detective, who sets out on a quest to discover the killers of his former partner, Detective Terrance Washington. Forest Whitaker plays Captain Wander, Ludlow's supervisor, whose duties include keeping him within the confines of the law and out of the clutches of Internal Affairs Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie). Ludlow teams up with a young Robbery Homicide Detective (Chris Evans) to track Washington's killers through the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Their determination pays off when the two detectives track down Washington's murderers and confront them in an attempt to bring them to justice.

Director: David Ayer. Stars: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Cedric the Entertainer, Naomi Harris, Amaury Nolasco, Common and The Game. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Police Thriller, Box office gross: $26.378 million, Fox. Available: 8/19.

2
stars goback




WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS
photo Two strangers awaken together to discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery in Sin City, and one of them has won a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. The newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other and get their hands on the money -- only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing.

Director: Tom Vaughan. Stars: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Lake Bell, Michelle Krusiec, Dennis Farina, Krysten Ritter, Jason Sudeikis, Queen Latifah, Zach Galifianakis, Treat Williams. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 99 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $77.543 million, Fox. Available: 8/26.

2
stars goback


All DVDs and Blu-rays are screened on a reference system consisting of an Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player, a Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center), and 50 (rear) speakers and Power 10 subwoofer.


rule


| Contents/Site Map | Home | Resources | Calendar | Sell-Through | DVD | Reviews |


E-mail: mail@onvideo.org
© 1996 -- 2008 OnVideo. All rights reserved

August 1, 2008