Punch Drunk DVDs: 3/2/10

2012
I'm not even gonna try to act like it's worth it to buy this. 2012 is a legendarily awful film, nearly as terrible as Roland Emmerich's previous turd sandwich, The Day After Tomorrow. The only possible reason anyone could have to watch this is if they are a glutton for punishment, or they have a strange fetish for ungodly bad acting.









Ponyo
Famed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated classic turned out to be his most successful here in the United States, breaking the Top 10 for the first time to the tune of roughly $15M. The story is about a goldfish who desires to become human. Like Miyazaki's other films, including Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, Ponyo has received almost universal acclaim. I never got to see it, unfortunately but it's now high on my Netflix queue.







Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak's classic children's story is brought to glorious life through the unique lens of director Spike Jonze. But this isn't just a retelling of that slim, barebones story, Jonze expands on it and perhaps even darkens it up just a little bit, painting Max as an aggressively volatile child lost to his own emotions. I hesitate to say this is strictly for adults, but some of the scenes might be a little too intense for smaller children.








Clash of the Titans
Release the Kraken! The remake starring Sam Worthington is still a few weeks away, but that shouldn't stop you from revisiting the Ray Harryhousen directed original, in all it's stop-motion glory. Features an interview with the director and some sort of creature feature thing.









Bitch Slap
A certain cohort of mine soundly rejected my opportunity to see this movie before now, but there's little he can do about it now! Bitch Slap is a throwback to the 'B' movie exploitation genre of the 70s! Hot broads, ridiculous cartoon violence, big cars and bigger guns. Can't wait. As long as it's nothing like the last movie of this type we saw, the atrocious Hell Ride...








Cold Souls
Paul Giamatti stars as a guy who literally has sold his soul. And his soul looks like a chick pea. After having his soul removed, he quickly discovers that it's not all it's cracked up to be and wants it back, only to discover that it's been sold on the black market. Clearly taking it's cues from Charlie Kauffman's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Cold Souls lacks that film's humor and depth, but Giamatti is great as usual.







Gentlemen Broncos
Made by the same people who brought you Napoleon Dynamite. So if you liked that movie, chances are you'll dig this. Broncos features a cast that instills me with some confidence: Mike White, Jennifer Coolidge, and Sam Rockwell.