Bring It On: In It To Win It
Directed by Steve Rash
Starring Ashley Benson, Cassie Scerbo, Jennifer Tisdale, Michael Copon
PG-13
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Available Dec. 18, 2007

To be honest, at first, I only took this assignment as a goof. I just thought I’d write a couple of silly things, maybe get a plug in, and then I’d be off into the night like a drunken phantom. That was my plan anyway. I mean, it’s a cheerleading movie, right? Keep in mind, that I am a man in his thirties who was asked in all seriousness to write about a movie that is almost exclusively targeted at young girls between the ages of nine and fourteen years old. Then it occurred to me that the things I thought were interesting even in my twenties (like that episode of 90210 when Donna shows up at a clothing factory in a belly shirt and high heels only to discover that she has wandered into a sweatshop full of underpaid immigrants) may fall right into the realm of the very same demographic. In other words, I was probably asked to do this because I may be the only man on the GoD staff who gets it.

Moving on”¦

The direct-to-DVD In It To Win It is the fourth installment of the Bring It On series. Though, unlike the Eliza Dushku id-fest that made the original such a wonderfully cheap experience, this chapter of the trilogy features a much younger cast and takes place at a cheerleading camp (Camp Cheer Thunder) rather than the scholastic settings of the previous films.

California native Carson (Ashley Benson) competes in the “Cheer Camp Nationals” and is determined to lead her squad, the West High Sharks, to ultimate victory. Brooke, a Paris Hilton look-a-like and captain of the East Coast Jets (Cassie Scerbo) is equally determined to win the competition’s most coveted “spirit stick.” However, Brooke seems just as hellbent on making Carson’s life miserable in the process as she schemes from the shadows, while wielding a paperback copy of Sun Tzu’s The Art Of War — which can be assumed is required reading for all evil cheerleaders.

Stardust
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro
PG-13
Paramount Home Entertainment
On sale: Dec. 18, 2007

Stardust was one of my most anticipated films of the year. Given its light-hearted adult-oriented fairy tale adventure premise, I knew it’d be something I’d enjoy. Add on the fact that it was adapted from one of my favorite novels written by my most favorite author Neil Gaiman, and you get a movie that’s made just for me.

My biggest fear — as always with adaptations — was, would director and co-screenwriter Matthew Vaughn get it right? Previous to Stardust, Vaughn directed the action flick Layer Cake, which is far from a fantastical special effects masterpiece. Then I read that when setting out to make this movie, Vaughn was going for “Princess Bride meets Midnight Run” (a statement the director reiterates in the “Making Of” featurette on this DVD release) — not a bad combination.

While the director mostly follows the outline of Gaiman’s novel, the look, feel, and pace of Stardust is all Vaughn’s. Yes, the screenwriters (Vaughn co-wrote the script with Jane Goldman) took a few liberties with the story, which I’m willing to overlook because I feel that they were worthy additions. What Vaughn managed to do is take this quaint little love story about a young man who seeks a fallen star to bring back to his love, and injects it with fast-paced energy, humor, and plenty of action.

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, the masterminds behind the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, will produce two films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic tale The Hobbit, according to a press release issued today jointly by Jackson and the heads of MGM and New Line studios.

The two Hobbit films — The Hobbit and its sequel — are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of The Hobbit release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

Additionally, the announcement stated that Jackson’s lawsuit against New Line over Rings accounting practices has been settled.

Here’s are some details from the announcement:

• MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, The Hobbit and a sequel to The Hobbit. New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
• Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on The Hobbit. New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.
• Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy.

The Legend of Joe Moon #1
Story by Gonzalo Ventura
Art by Manuel Silva and Leonardo Silva
Letters by Martin Blanco
Pit Bros. Productions
Cover price: $2.00; Available now

Chapter 1: “Only the whisky takes away the taste of death”

Right off the bat, I’ve gotta say that any stories dealing with vampires, zombies, or werewolves are a tough sell. Anyone that’s a fan of stories with one (or all) of these creatures has their own preconceived notions about how they should go.

“Vampires should be sensual creatures full of gothic lust“¦”

“Zombies should never be able to run”¦ “

“Werewolves only transform during a full moon “¦”

I could go on and on. And whenever a story strays from people’s preconceived notions, that story is quickly dismissed. So, as a storyteller, you’re always stacking the deck against youself whenever you decide to use creatures so near and dear to people’s hearts.

The Legend of Joe Moon is a werewolf yarn wrapped inside of a Western. The hero of the story is a man with living with a terrible beast inside of him, a beast he can’t control. And when the beast comes out, people die. He’s a drifter, wandering from town to town, collecting rewards on wanted men and moving on because, inevitably, the beast is going to come out, and he’s going to be hunted… Simple, straightforward storytelling, and it’s done extremely well.

The Last Legion
Directed by Doug Lefler
Starring Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai
Weinstein Company/Genius Products
Available Dec. 18, 2007

Before seeing this DVD, I suspected that The Last Legion was an awful movie. I originally intended to see this film shortly after its United States release, but it could only be found at two movie theaters within fifty miles of my home within two weeks after it entered the market. Given the size of the metropolitan area in which I live, this only happens for one reason: the movie is horrible.

So with expectations set rather I low, I watched this DVD and was pleasantly surprised. Is it the next Gladiator? No, but that said, it’s not a bad film either. It falls into the category of “flawed but interesting.” Whether or not you enjoy The Last Legion depends a lot on if the audience can accept the film’s central premise: linkage of the Fall of the Roman Empire with the roots of Arthurian legend.