Release Round-Up
By Sarah Carlson
May 1, 2007
Here's a look at some of this week's new releases:
DVDs:
"Little Children"
Kate Winslet won most of the praise for her work as Sarah, an unhappy mother who begins an affair with a neighborhood dad in this grown-up look at suburbia. Directed by Todd Field ("In the Bedroom"), "Little Children" also stars Patrick Wilson as the adulterous husband, Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Noah Emmerich as the neighborhood watchdog and Jackie Earle Haley as the convicted pedophile who returns to the neighborhood to live with his mother. All we need is "The Killing Fields" and some guacamole and we've got ourselves a par-tay. Winslet and Haley earned Oscar nods for their roles.
"Dreamgirls"
Rightfully snubbed from the Best Picture category, the over-hyped "Dreamgirls" was one of my least favorite films of last year. It was pretty to look at, but I've seen more substance and better performances come out of high school one-acts. Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose star as the Dreamettes, a '60s girl group based on the Supremes, and we're subjected to the ups and downs of their careers and love lives. Oh, and Eddie Murphy is there, too. So is Jamie Foxx.
Also on DVD: "Alpha Dog," "Beverly Hills, 90210: The Complete Second Season," "Will & Grace: The Complete Sixth Season"
CDs
Michael Buble, "Call Me Irresponsible"
You have to give a person who can become famous for singing other artists' songs some credit. Michael Buble is pretty good at it, and his latest, "Call me Irresponsible," has the same trick: Half of these songs were made famous by numerous crooners decades ago. It never hurts to hear "I've Got the World on a String," "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "Wonderful Tonight," I suppose, and he's added two original songs to boot. He's also dating Emily Blunt, so he probably doesn't care what any of us think.
Tori Amos, "American Doll Posse"
I don't know much about Tori Amos. I just felt the need to post this album cover because it's terrifying. Take a closer look. Not pretty. Aside from that, fans on Amazon.com are calling Amos' ninth studio album a success, appreciating its tongue-in-cheek look at America and songs about a certain "King George."
Also on CD: "Survivalism, Pt. 2," Nine Inch Nails; "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," Miranda Lambert
Video Games
“Spider-Man 3” (multi-platform)
There’s this guy, you know, and he got bit by a radioactive spider. Stop me if you’ve heard this all before.
Another movie. Another tie-in video game. That’s the Hollywood treadmill. Thing is, the Spider-Man games have actually been pretty good, so there’s plenty of goodwill toward this latest offering even before it releases.
Trademarks are funny things. The promo copy for Spidey 3 keeps referring to “Black-Suited Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man,” over and over and over again, in exactly that manner.
As you may guess, this new, nifty black suit gives you even more incredible super powers, from enhanced agility and durability to “awe-inspiring web abilities.” Like the ability to shoot strands of webbing from one’s wrists has somehow become common and pedestrian.
The fan faithful know that the black suit is actually … well, I won’t post spoilers here. But trust me, it has its own ideas about how things are supposed to go.
The film should be a fun carnival ride, with maybe a bit of the good old Peter Parker angst.
If the game, which is billed as free-form and in a larger representation of New York than ever, is at least as good as the ones that came before, it’ll sell a billion trillion copies.
The game actually ships on Friday, so you may find it at stores this weekend, or at places that got their stock early. Use your Spidey-Sense to sniff one out. — Brian Bethel
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