DVD Movie Review: A Modern Day Family Dramedy

The Kids Are All Right

Nic and Jules are in a long-term, committed and loving relationship -- raising two teenagers while balancing home and work lives. Like most couples, they're happy -- but things are by no means perfect. Pretty normal. So, what makes this a different story? Well, Nic and Jules just happen to be lesbians. Annette Bening plays Nic, a doctor, primary breadwinner and the stricter parent. Julianne Moore is Jules, the more laid-back stay-at-home mom. With the kids getting older, Jules is trying to get a new business off-the-ground, but that's just one factor adding stress to the relationship.

We learn that each woman had given birth to one of the two kids using the same anonymous sperm donor. As daughter Joni (Mia Wasikowska) readies to leave for college, her curious younger brother Laser (Josh Hutcherson) asks her to contact the sperm bank in order to meet their biological father. When their father (Zodiac's Mark Ruffalo) enters the family's lives -- not only do the kids have to learn to adjust, but Nic and Jules face an unexpected turn of events that will truly test their relationship.

Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (High Art, Laurel Canyon) -- and written by Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg -- the film is an entertaining family dramedy strengthened by stellar acting from a great cast. As usual, Moore (A Single Man) and Ruffalo are terrific -- and so are Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Hutcherson (Journey to the Center of the Earth). If you're going to make a film where younger actors play integral roles, you better nail the casting. And here, the filmmakers did. Bening is especially outstanding -- I honestly had forgotten what a great actress she is -- and without a doubt, she'll gain a well-deserved fourth Oscar nomination (The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia). My only gripe with the film is that part of the story veered off and didn't seem completely believable -- and that's the only reason you won't see a higher grade from me below. Still, a must-see. [Rated R; released on DVD and Blu-ray today]


Grade: B+


Note:

• Click on the Film Reviews icon at left for more reviews of movies in theaters now -- or already released for home viewing.
  

MusicMonday: November Downloads -- Vol. 2

Free Downloads

Here is this week's free offerings:

• Nine live tracks from Phish (Live Bait Volume 2) can be downloaded here.
• Click here for a live Massive Attack set from this past June's Southside Festival in Germany.
• Download "Bring the Light" from Beady Eye here.
• Kellee Maize's new single "Hasta Abajo - All The Way Down" here.
• NoiseTrade offers downloads for free (or pay what you can) -- click here for Sleeperstar's "Just Another Ghost" -- then click the back space on that page for more songs.
• Here is UTNE Reader's November sampler with 11 free downloads.
  
• Is classical music more your stlye? Click here for 24 classical masterpieces from Rise of the Masters.

Holiday Music for Free

Too early for Christmas? Yeah, I hear you -- but why not download these complimentary songs from Amazon.com now -- and save them for later when you're in the holiday mood!

• The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree -- 16 VeggieTales' tracks -- download here
• The Karaoke Channel -- Best Traditional Christmas Songs (14 tracks) -- download here
• Chacra World Music Holiday Sampler (five tracks) -- download here
• The Very Merry Christmas Sugo Holiday Sampler (five tracks) -- download here
  
• Timeless Christmas (six tracks, including two from Neil Sedaka and two from Michael McDonald) -- download here
  

Many More

Want more free (non-holiday) downloads? Well, don't forget to continually check the following sources -- new songs covering all genres are added frequently. Just click on the links below and enjoy some new tunes.

• AbsolutePunk
• Amazon singles
  
• Amazon albums
• The BoomBox
• eMusic
• Fuse.tv
• Guvera
  
• KickKickSnare
• MTV
  
• Spinner
• Stereogum
• VolumeVote
• YNot Radio
  
• Walmart

Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office

Notes:

• DreamWorks Animation's Megamind was the #1 movie for the second weekend in a row. The 3D comedy, featuring Will Ferrell as the voice of a super villain, made just over $30 million this weekend -- and now nearly $90 million overall.
• Opening in second place is the 20th Century Fox action thriller Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as railroad workers trying to stop a massive runaway train. The film made $23.5 million in its debut.
• Among the weekend's other new releases, Skyline opened in fourth place with $11.7 million. The Universal Pictures sci-fi thriller depicts aliens invading and destroying Los Angeles. And Morning Glory, a Paramount comedy set in a network morning show starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton, opened at #5 with about $9.6 million.
• The top 10 films in the latest frame collected $110.4 million, or 12% less than top performers in the same session in 2009.
• Coming up -- the home stretch to the box-office year will feature a number of limited-release "prestige pictures" vying for promotional bang from the year-end awards season.
• All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.
• Reviews of Megamind, RED and other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.
• Sources: Hollywood.com, Hollywood Reporter, AP
  

Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office

Notes:

• DreamWorks Animation's Megamind debuted as the #1 movie for the weekend with $47.7 million. Distributed in a mix of 2D and 3D locations, 66% of its opening weekend earnings came from 3D screenings.
  
• In other debuts, Warner Bros.' Due Date opened at a strong #2 with $33.5 million, while Tyler Perry's drama For Colored Girls premiered solidly for Lionsgate -- in third-place with $20.1 million.
• Last weekend's champion, Saw 3D, slipped all the way down to #5 with $8.2 million -- down a steep 66 percent from its opening-weekend revenue. Halloween is over -- hello!
  
• On an industry-wide basis, the weekend was very strong -- and even set a record for the best first weekend in November (previously $153 million in 2003). Overall revenues came in at $155 million, up 29.5 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when A Christmas Carol led with $30.1 million.
  
• All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.
• Reviews of Megamind, Red, Hereafter, The Social Network and other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.
• Sources: Hollywood.com, Hollywood Reporter, AP
  

Movie Review: A Villain vs. Superhero Story with a Twist

Megamind

The latest animated comedy from DreamWorks Animation is a villain vs. superhero story with a twist -- one where you may end up rooting for the unlikely character. The villain here is the Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell), who continuously terrorizes Metro City -- but the city and its people are always rescued by suave superhero Metro Man (Brad Pitt). Megamind and Metro Man are both aliens who were sent to Earth as babies from their respective home planets. On Earth, they've had a long rivalry -- but Megamind always seems to be outwitted by Metro Man. Then during one of Megamind's many hostage plots involving news reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), tragedy strikes -- and it looks like Metro Man is finally out of the picture.

Now freed from his rival's shadow, Megamind proceeds to take control of Metro City. But over time, the big blue-headed villain comes to realize that he no longer has any purpose in life without an enemy. So, he concocts a plan to turn Roxanne's goofy cameraman Hal (Jonah Hill) into Metro City's next big superhero, the fiery-headed Titan. But things do not go as planned when power quickly goes to Titan's head. Aided by his fish-like sidekick Minion (David Cross), Megamind must find a way to resolve an even bigger issue -- as Metro City now has two villains and no superheroes.

Written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, the film is directed by Tom McGrath (Madagascar). All borrow plot points from recent animated features -- including Monsters vs. Aliens and Despicable Me -- so, the film isn't as original as it could be. And be forewarned, it's neither a laugh-out riot nor a 3D spectacular (it's ok to see in 2D!). But the animation and strong cast rescue the film's shortcomings. Ferrell (The Other Guys), Fey (Ponyo), Hill (Cyrus) and Cross (Alvin and The Chipmunks) add much liveliness to the tale. Surprisingly, only Pitt (Inglourious Basterds) is a bit flat in his first animated role. [Rated PG; opens today]


Grade: B


Notes:

• Thanks to AOL, you can watch the first five minutes of the film -- with an introduction by Will Ferrell -- here. The opening serves as a great back-story that sets the stage well.
  
• Click on the Film Reviews icon at left for more reviews.

First Day of November = Free Movie Rental Codes!

Brrrrrrrr -- it was the coldest morning here in the past eight months! Unless you're lucky to live in a warm climate, I am sure you're experiencing much of the same. It's time to spend more time inside -- with a free movie night! So, here is the latest list of Redbox and Blockbuster Express codes.

Just a reminder: these codes listed below can only be used once per account.


Redbox

Did you know:

• If you create a new redbox.com account, your second online rental is on them! Details here.
  
• Join the Redbox text club and get a promo code good for a free rental on the first Monday of every month (the code is sent to your cell phone -- and is good only for you!). Learn more here.
  
• Blu-ray discs are now available at a Redbox kiosk near you. At my local location, DVDs are still $1 and Blu-ray discs are $1.50. Check here to see if Blu-ray rentals are available near you.
• Finally, Redbox has a great new contest -- you could win free rentals for a year! Enter the contest here.

Below are free movie rental codes for use at Redbox kiosks:

• DVDATWAG - expiration unknown; Walgreen's only
• DVDKROG - expiration unknown; Kroger's only
• DRIVEIN - expiration unknown; Sonic only
• CHANCEMONOP - McDonald's only; Redbox and McDonald's have partnered to give away 1 million FREE Redbox rentals; this code will expire after it has been used 1 million times
• DVDONME - no expiration
  
• BREAKROOM - no expiration
• Click here to find a Redbox kiosk near you.

Blockbuster

Below are free movie rental codes for use at Blockbuster Express kiosks:

• 1MNDY - valid today only
• G718A - expiration unknown
  
• Click here to find a Blockbuster kiosk near you.

MusicMonday: New Month, New Free Mp3s!

Wow -- it's November already! Let's kick off the month with some free music!

First up, Amazon.com recently offered a promotional code to some members -- and it has spread around the Internet. It's definitely worth trying out before it expires today! Enter the code STUDENT3 at check-out to redeem a $3 credit. Amazon MP3 music downloads are available to customers located in (and with billing addresses in) one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia only. Taxes apply in some states. The promotion code must be used by 11:59 PT tonight! So get shopping here!


And here are this week's
free downloads:

• To celebrate three decades of Bad Religion, the band recorded a live album during its spring 2010 tour -- and are offering it as a free "thank you" to loyal fans. Download it here by joining the band's mailing list.
• Meanwhile, SPIN Magazine has compiled a 10-track mixed tape of top acts covering Bad Religion. Included in the tribute are Switchfoot and Tegan and Sara. Download "Germs of Perfection: A Tribute to Bad Religion" here.
  
• Compliments of Adult Swim -- three big albums! Download 16 metal tracks here, 9 softer singles here and 17 ATL RMX remixes here.
  
• Incubus has a section on their site with free downloads of many of their biggest hits. Click here.
  
• And finally, the new War Tapes 5-track EP "Fever Changing" is available here. You can name your price.
  

Want more free downloads? Well, don't forget to continually check the following sources -- new songs covering all genres are added frequently. Just click on the links below and enjoy some new tunes.

• AbsolutePunk
• Amazon singles
  
• Amazon albums
• The BoomBox
• eMusic
• Fuse.tv
• Guvera
  
• KickKickSnare
• MTV
  
• Spinner
• Stereogum
• VolumeVote
• YNot Radio
  
• Walmart