Time for our weekly dose of film talk, minus the inflated egos and Hollywood puffery. (At least until we get E! knocking on our door.)

Videoport Jones stops by to talk about this week's new releases on DVD.

The Bucket List, Larry the Cable Guy and a brewer patriot? Yeah, that sounds about right.

The Bucket List

Videoport Jones: "Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman find out they’ve got just a short time to live, so they team up to do all the things they ever wanted to do, like make a lucrative, feel-good movie. They also wanted to overact and make mellifluous, wise-sounding pronouncements respectively, so that wasn’t too hard. But I kid two of our greatest actors. There are some laughs, some tears, some audience-friendly hijinx, and then, of course, it's hanky time. Not a bad way to spend your movie-watching time, if you don’t set the bar too high."

Justin: "Well crap. When you put it like that it makes it hard for me to rip into this movie. Maybe I was alone in thinking that the trailers were awful and an embarrassment to both Nicholson and Freeman. Look they're old! Oh they're racing! They're skydiving! They're living it up and teaching us not to take things for granted! Cue Joe Cocker's 'Feelin' Alright!' Sorry, I guess I am a little cynical. The thing is it's hard to dislike Jack or Morgan, and they both usually make whatever movie they are in just a little bit better. I guess I just don't want them doing 'Grumpy Old Men' redux. But maybe it's worth a shot."

Control

VPJ: "Biopic about Ian Curtis, the late lead singer of Joy Division, who killed himself when he was 23, just as the band was about to embark on its first American tour. Ouch America, hard not to take that personally. Curtis' short life (23 years, one hit single, a good but cult-popular at best band) seems an unlikely subject for a film, but then again some of the best biopics are about the least likely people (Ed Wood for 'Ed Wood,' Steve Prefontaine for 'Without Limits,' etc.), and there’s been nothing but buzz about this one at Videoport. Seriously, it's like working in a wasps nest around here..."

JE: "I'm trying very hard to not make a WASP joke right now, so we'll just move along. You're spot on about the obscurity on this one. You have to be a pretty serious music fan to have some curiosity about this one. Joy Division, New Order, punk-pop-rock-dance and some serious Brit-love would all have to come into play. Now, that said, I've also seen some good reviews on this one, and while I'm not the biggest Joy Division or New Order fan, I could see myself getting coaxed into watching this. Also most folks may not know Anton Corbijn by name, but most likely you know his work from Depeche Mode, Nirvana, U2 and plenty more."

Funny Games

VPJ: "Yeeeeoooouuuughghhh. That's the sound my soul usually makes when watching one of director Michael Haneke’s provocative, shocking, compelling films, and this one, an English language remake of his German original, was no exception. Whatsoever. The dude loves to push your buttons, and this film, about a complacent rich couple (Tim Roth and Naomi Watts) who find their home invaded by a pair of seemingly-polite yet completely mental young men, got its fingers on all of mine. Haneke’s got some stuff to say about class, violence, media, and, yes, us - the people watching his very movie, and that's all quite interesting, but while you're watching the movie itself, you're just squirming and deciding whether to hide under the couch. Roth and Watts are excellent, by the way. Yeeeeeoooooouuuughghhh..."

JE: "Now see, if you want a movie to scare the bejeezus out of you, this would be it. Steer clear of anything that involves a Japanese remake or the newest snuff-torture-exploitation flick that comes down the pike. I read a lot about the original when the remake was released. This is some basic scary stuff - a couple of guys come into your home, everything seems fine at first, and then things go completely off the rails, fast. Two guys, who seemingly have no reason or cause, come into your home, hold you captive and basically screw with your head for their enjoyment. Oh, and one of those dudes is the immortally creepy Michael Pitt. Shudder."

Witless Protection

VPJ: "I am required by the terms of my employment to announce that this Larry the Cable Guy film exists. May god have mercy on my soul."

JE: "Should we even muster the strength for a rant on this one? Would we just be treading over the same tired and sad land we always relentlessly (and gleefully) stomp on? I can't do it."

The Other Boleyn Girl

VPJ: "It's a lavish, saucy period piece about that wacky, hairtrigger (do axes have triggers?) monarch Henry VIII (luckily for us played in pre-gorging times by hunky Eric Bana) and his I-guess-you’d-call-it-love for Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, only one of whom will claim the title. The other, not so much with the head having... Lot's of costumery, carefully-practiced accents, and improbably-skin-disease-free rumpy-pumpy for those of you into that sort of thing."

JE: "Rumpy pumpy? Really? Truly sir, you are a wordsmith of the highest order. Even with the solid Mr. Bana and the always enjoyable Johansson and Portman. But this one's not my cup of tea, so I'll take a pass. If period pieces with heaving bosoms, fancy clothes and accents is your thing, then by all means have at thee."

Jumper

VPJ: "Hayden Christensen finds out he can teleport (or 'jump,' if you will) from here to there, which is nice. Except that he then finds out that a secret society of 'jumpers,' headed by Samuel L. Jackson, want to kill him. Jump, Hayden, jump! Got the shaft at the box office, but it doesn't look all that bad, and was directed by the ususally-cool Doug Liman ('Swingers,' 'Go,' 'The Bourne Identity'), and we can't really hold Christensen responsible for 'Star Wars' forever, can we?"

JE: "To quote Barack Obama: 'Yes, we can.' OK, I'll cut you some slack. Really we should be able to separate the two things. 'Jumper' looks like a decent enough movie with an exciting premise. As far as sci-fi fantasy flicks go, it has a lot going for it, including Mr. Jackson. The problem is, well, Christensen. I have such a hard time trusting him after the 'Star Wars' debacle. While I'd say I fall into the category of Star Wars Geek, I don't think it's just us who were put off by the wooden, stunted whinings and pinings of young Vader. A good share of that blame goes to George Lucas. In fact a nice fat share of that goes to him. But regardless, he's tainted how I see Christensen. Now that 'Jumper' is on DVD I can probably see the movie on my own terms."

John Adams

VPJ: "Miniseries about the brewer and patriot. Oh wait - that was the other Adams. My bad. Well, this Adams was a revolutionary, too, and then a president. Take that, beer boy. Anyway, this is the sort of lavish, sprawling thing that HBO does well, and with the stellar Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as leads, this seven-parter should slake the thirst of every history buff in the land."

JE: "You just had to get that last beer joke in didn't you? Couldn't help yourself. Historo-dramas can be a tricky thing. I'm a history guy, I enjoy learning about the past, and can get easily caught up watching the history channel for periods of time. Historo-dramas can either take a time and subject you're curious about and flesh it out, or completely destroy it. I think of 'Band of Brothers' as good example, and another good one by the HBO team. So, HBO, and Paul 'Don't call me pig vomit' Giamatti? Sign me up. This blog brought to you by the fine folks at Sam Adams Brewing Company, with the tastiest hops and barely around."

That's all we got today folks. Parting shots:

- DO Nicholson and Freeman deserve a "gimme" for making "The Bucket List?" Was it a mistake?
- Care to make your own statements on the fame and success of Larry the Cable Guy?
- Name your favorite historo-drama and why!

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