TV movies, 'Mr. Woodcock' hit DVD market
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2008
Eventually, everything is on DVD.
I know because this week "The Marva Collins Story" hits the market. Back when it was on television (so long ago I was young), I interviewed the real Marva and Cicely Tyson, the woman who played her. Nothing more than an "inspirational teacher" film, the TV movie hit all the cliches and, naturally, provoked tears. It wasn't "Roots," but it won its time period.
Collins was a nice woman, but Tyson knew how to shake the rafters. Now, that Emmy-nominated performance is ready to be seen again (even if the movie has been forgotten). Pick it up and see if you don't cry a Kleenex box of tears.
If you need an Alex Haley fix (that isn't "Roots"), his "Queen" comes to DVD, too. It's nothing more than "Gone with the Wind" lite and hardly worth the hours it takes to unfold. Halle Berry gets to overact. And, get this, she won the Emmy.
Two comedies -- "Mr. Woodcock" and "Good Luck Chuck" -- are among the new movies.
Mr. Woodcock, the hated gym teacher in a sleepy Nebraska town, has the kind of hold on kids that usually takes therapy to release.
One -- a celebrated author -- even wrote "Letting Go," a book about the process. But when he returns to receive a big honor at the town's corn festival, those repressed memories come flooding back. Worse yet? The guy is dating his mother.
Billy Bob Thorton plays the title character in "Mr. Woodcock," a stern force who doesn't suffer anyone -- least of all fools. He's still harassing kids and making an hour of their days utter hell. Unfortunately, no one wants to stop him. Instead, they give him the Educator of the Year award.
That really grates the author (Seann William Scott) who wants someone -- anyone -- to expose the guy. Mom (Susan Sarandon) isn't biting. She loves the lug and wants the two men in her life to get along.
As much as it smacks of "Meet the Parents," "Mr. Woodcock" has plenty of its own reality. Michael Carnes and Josh Gilbert, the film's writers, have their own fodder and more than enough one-liners to make this seem fresh. They've got a pretty good story arc, too, that builds to the big corn-u-copia and lets Scott get revenge.
The joy comes in seeing how Thornton gets to Scott on every level. When he drops hints about his life with Sarandon, "Mr. Woodcock" stands alone.
It's not a highly original film -- just a good giggle.
Also: 'Chuck'
Jessica Alba shows true acting ability in "Good Luck Chuck" but that's not the film's biggest surprise. It's the amount of nudity and profanity that colors the story.
Dan Fogler, as Dane Cook's best friend, has so many off-color lines (and an unhealthy obsession with sex), you'll swear the film should have a slightly different title.
Cook is pretty unedited, too, but he's not as offensive as Fogler a plastic surgeon who specializes in breast implants.
When Cook discovers he has a curse - women marry after they've slept with him - Fogler acts like it's the Powerball. He tries to pass himself off as his taller, better looking friend. He misses no opportunity to say something rude in terms even frat boys wouldn't use. Edit him out and "Good Luck Chuck" might be a passable romance.
Alba enters the picture when she bumps into Cook at a wedding. They date, then he realizes he could lose her if they sleep together. So, he tries to keep the relationship from advancing. Then he discovers a way to test the theory and press his cause.
Director Mark Helfrich tries for a "There's Something About Mary" vibe to "Chuck" but he can't quite turn crude into clever. As a result, huge sections look like outtakes meant for the unrated DVD.
Cook does well with a string of dates - he knows how to find the laughs - but can't quite make audiences believe he's a successful dentist. He's effective only in play with Alba, who appears as a penguin expert working at some Sea World-like place called Aqua World.
She's pretty clumsy, too, and can't understand why this lothario doesn't want to move to the next level.
She's funny with the penguins and Lonny Ross as her brother, a first-class scene stealer. While Ross doesn't have any real subplot, he manages to spice up any scene he's in.
He does what Fogler can't - make something out of nothing.
To say "Good Luck Chuck" is a date movie is wrong. This is the kind of stuff that makes couples uncomfortable. If he laughs at something she finds offensive, any goodwill could be lost. Future romance? The title says it all.
Also:
Film: "In the Heat of the Night"; "It Came from Beneath the Sea"; "Oswald's Ghost"; "She's Gotta Have It"; "The Ten"; "Wedding Daze"; "When Harry Met Sally"
TV: "Allo, Allo," complete series; "All Creatures Great and Small," complete series; "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown"; "Criss Angel Mindfreak," season three; "Dora the Explorer Undercover Dora"; "Extras," the complete series; "Family Guy: Blue Harvest"; "Murder in Mississippi"; "New Adventures of Old Christine," season one; "Rocford Files," season five; "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," season three; "Two and a Half Men," seasons one and two.
I know because this week "The Marva Collins Story" hits the market. Back when it was on television (so long ago I was young), I interviewed the real Marva and Cicely Tyson, the woman who played her. Nothing more than an "inspirational teacher" film, the TV movie hit all the cliches and, naturally, provoked tears. It wasn't "Roots," but it won its time period.
Collins was a nice woman, but Tyson knew how to shake the rafters. Now, that Emmy-nominated performance is ready to be seen again (even if the movie has been forgotten). Pick it up and see if you don't cry a Kleenex box of tears.
If you need an Alex Haley fix (that isn't "Roots"), his "Queen" comes to DVD, too. It's nothing more than "Gone with the Wind" lite and hardly worth the hours it takes to unfold. Halle Berry gets to overact. And, get this, she won the Emmy.
Two comedies -- "Mr. Woodcock" and "Good Luck Chuck" -- are among the new movies.
Mr. Woodcock, the hated gym teacher in a sleepy Nebraska town, has the kind of hold on kids that usually takes therapy to release.
One -- a celebrated author -- even wrote "Letting Go," a book about the process. But when he returns to receive a big honor at the town's corn festival, those repressed memories come flooding back. Worse yet? The guy is dating his mother.
Billy Bob Thorton plays the title character in "Mr. Woodcock," a stern force who doesn't suffer anyone -- least of all fools. He's still harassing kids and making an hour of their days utter hell. Unfortunately, no one wants to stop him. Instead, they give him the Educator of the Year award.
That really grates the author (Seann William Scott) who wants someone -- anyone -- to expose the guy. Mom (Susan Sarandon) isn't biting. She loves the lug and wants the two men in her life to get along.
As much as it smacks of "Meet the Parents," "Mr. Woodcock" has plenty of its own reality. Michael Carnes and Josh Gilbert, the film's writers, have their own fodder and more than enough one-liners to make this seem fresh. They've got a pretty good story arc, too, that builds to the big corn-u-copia and lets Scott get revenge.
The joy comes in seeing how Thornton gets to Scott on every level. When he drops hints about his life with Sarandon, "Mr. Woodcock" stands alone.
It's not a highly original film -- just a good giggle.
Also: 'Chuck'
Jessica Alba shows true acting ability in "Good Luck Chuck" but that's not the film's biggest surprise. It's the amount of nudity and profanity that colors the story.
Dan Fogler, as Dane Cook's best friend, has so many off-color lines (and an unhealthy obsession with sex), you'll swear the film should have a slightly different title.
Cook is pretty unedited, too, but he's not as offensive as Fogler a plastic surgeon who specializes in breast implants.
When Cook discovers he has a curse - women marry after they've slept with him - Fogler acts like it's the Powerball. He tries to pass himself off as his taller, better looking friend. He misses no opportunity to say something rude in terms even frat boys wouldn't use. Edit him out and "Good Luck Chuck" might be a passable romance.
Alba enters the picture when she bumps into Cook at a wedding. They date, then he realizes he could lose her if they sleep together. So, he tries to keep the relationship from advancing. Then he discovers a way to test the theory and press his cause.
Director Mark Helfrich tries for a "There's Something About Mary" vibe to "Chuck" but he can't quite turn crude into clever. As a result, huge sections look like outtakes meant for the unrated DVD.
Cook does well with a string of dates - he knows how to find the laughs - but can't quite make audiences believe he's a successful dentist. He's effective only in play with Alba, who appears as a penguin expert working at some Sea World-like place called Aqua World.
She's pretty clumsy, too, and can't understand why this lothario doesn't want to move to the next level.
She's funny with the penguins and Lonny Ross as her brother, a first-class scene stealer. While Ross doesn't have any real subplot, he manages to spice up any scene he's in.
He does what Fogler can't - make something out of nothing.
To say "Good Luck Chuck" is a date movie is wrong. This is the kind of stuff that makes couples uncomfortable. If he laughs at something she finds offensive, any goodwill could be lost. Future romance? The title says it all.
Also:
Film: "In the Heat of the Night"; "It Came from Beneath the Sea"; "Oswald's Ghost"; "She's Gotta Have It"; "The Ten"; "Wedding Daze"; "When Harry Met Sally"
TV: "Allo, Allo," complete series; "All Creatures Great and Small," complete series; "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown"; "Criss Angel Mindfreak," season three; "Dora the Explorer Undercover Dora"; "Extras," the complete series; "Family Guy: Blue Harvest"; "Murder in Mississippi"; "New Adventures of Old Christine," season one; "Rocford Files," season five; "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," season three; "Two and a Half Men," seasons one and two.
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