Guilt and New Year's go together like champagne and ice -- all those regrets and resolutions hanging in the air until the collective hangover fades.
A fine time for this four-pack of guilty pleasures to debut on DVD and Blu-ray. Movies that don't mind getting messy just to have a good time. Voulez-vous?
Mamma Mia! The Movie
A lot of critics hated this adaptation of the stage musical, especially the goofy, high-energy performance of Streep as the ex-hippie mom with three dads on her hands. I liked Streep and loved hearing the songs reworked by the ABBA guys with their original backup band.
The singing ranges from gorgeous (starlette Amanda Seyfried) to bloody awful (Waters), making the movie feel at times like a karaoke party for aging stars. Have the DVD pop up the lyrics and see if you can do better than Pierce Brosnan. Lots of potential for repeat plays with this DVD.
Extras on the double-disc set include a smart commentary by first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd; a featurette on the actors training to sing the Swedes' deceptively difficult songs; and a bonus deleted scene with Seyfried doing "The Name of the Game." Disc 2 holds a copy for iPods and such. (Universal)
Baghead
-- More fun with the Duplass brothers, the indie film guys who built "The Puffy Chair." This time, a quartet of failed actors and actresses retreat to the woods outside L.A. in an effort to write a screenplay. Before long, some fool with a paper bag on his head starts peeking in the cabin's windows, freaking out the self-absorbed thespians.
-- More fun with the Duplass brothers, the indie film guys who built "The Puffy Chair." This time, a quartet of failed actors and actresses retreat to the woods outside L.A. in an effort to write a screenplay. Before long, some fool with a paper bag on his head starts peeking in the cabin's windows, freaking out the self-absorbed thespians. "We're the last guys who should be making a horror film," the brothers told a screening audience in L.A. -- truth in advertising, many would say. "Baghead" scares up enough irony and low-key fun to make it a forgiving rental.
In the DVD extras, the brothers attempt to interview each other while wrangling their kids ("questions we've already answered"), but they get down to business in a commentary that should interest wannabe low-budget filmmakers.(Sony)
-- Delightfully pointless, this tale of blackmail and misunderstanding in the nation's capital proves the Coen Brothers are pretty much incapable of making a bad movie these days. The scenery-chewers-in-chief are George Clooney, Francis McDormand, Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. You're less a viewer and more of a rubber-necker at this crash site. Must have been a blast to make after "No Country for Old Men." (Universal)Ghost Town
-- I could have done with less of clammy star Ricky Gervais and more of Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni. And " 'I see dead people' as a comedy" aims pretty low as high-concept. Still, the romantic comedy "Ghost Town" puts a respectable spin on Scrooge and has something resembling heart -- or, at least, it pleasantly elicits your unearned emotions. (Paramount)
-- I could have done with less of clammy star Ricky Gervais and more of Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni. And " 'I see dead people' as a comedy" aims pretty low as high-concept. Still, the romantic comedy "Ghost Town" puts a respectable spin on Scrooge and has something resembling heart -- or, at least, it pleasantly elicits your unearned emotions. (Paramount)
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