The Leader-Post from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada • 12

Movies Friday, August 1,2008 Leader-Post leaderpost.com DVD REVIEWS REVIEW 90210 full of drama and scandal Cochrane connects with audience Tom Cochrane (Thursday) characters state of mind. Though consistently watchable, with some good squirmy moments (and first-rate sound effects that exacerbate every cut and fracture), The Ruins never quite builds up to the level of which it seems capable, as the deteriorating-under-pressure group dynamics come to an abrupt end just as the film gets going. The DVD comes with an alternate ending, deleted scenes and a few other bonus features. GordBurt Nim's Island 20th Century Fox ((out of five) I worry that pint sized-prodigy Abigail Breslin, star of this engaging family flick, is overdoing it a bit for a 12-year-old. Nine movies in the past two years including her Oscar-nominated performance in Little Miss Sunshine plus TV sitcom appearances is some workload.

Its hardly a natural childhood and how successfully shell make the transition to mature roles, only time will tell. Still, for now she brings an effortless charm to all she does. Nims Island is a fresh take on the Robinson Crusoe theme the difference being that im (Breslin) and her father Jack (Gerard Butler) are on their remote tropical island by choice. Jack is a marine research scientist and when he goes missing on his boat during a huge storm, Nim is left alone with just her pets for company Selkie the sea lion, Fred the lizard and Galileo the pelican. When the island is threatened by an unusual invasion, only one person can rescue Nim Alex Rover, hero of the countless adventure books Nim reads.

Via e-mail, she contacts Alex, who turns out to be far from the fearless character who leaps from the pages of the books. Co-starring Jodie Foster, this is a solid effort. Several featurettes are included. Andy Cooper wife Guinevere, and Lancelot, and does so without delving into the whole mystical, magical, sword-in-the-stone, sorcery angle. Absent are the sword Excalibur, the magician Merlin and the mysterious Morgan le Fay, which may have bothered some fans of the legend, but it actually makes for a nicely focused film that shifts from the love triangle to a military story and then back again repeatedly.

First Knight's large-scale action set pieces are capably done and more than exciting though it's a film that reduces the Knights of the Round Table to extras. Its hard to resist having some fun with First Knights weaknesses, which include its decision not to emphasize Lancelots traditional fierce loyalty to the king. However, it is still an acceptable attempt at a Camelot romance that, if not entirely convincing, stumbles less frequently than might be imagined. GordBurt Just Add Water Sony Pictures ((out of five) Just Add Water doesnt deserve any awards but it doesnt deserve to be completely ignored either. The premise of the story is quite simple: average guy Ray is stuck in a dead-end job in a dead-end town, but through a fortunate chain of events, his life changes for the better.

NipTuck star Dylan Walsh (who plays Ray) is a likable hero, and his love interest (wonderfully played by Tracy Middendorf), is endearing as well. Danny DeVito, Jonah Hill (the sex-obsessed kid from every Judd Apatow movie ever made reprises his roles here), and Justin Long also have fun supporting roles. Theres all sorts of other quirky characters here, including Rays sister and mother, who have a to-the-death struggle over a pie recipe, his brother, who sells sauerkraut at a roadside stand, and various neighbours and passers-through. DeVitos voice-over humourously divulges little tidbits about our tale of deceit, love and thugs in a forgotten town in the desert When Ray takes Eddie (Hill) to a place where he can lose his virginity, the exchange between the teary boy and his sympathetic, uh, female companion (Anika Noni Rose) is perfect Everything in the film is competently done, but it tries perhaps just a bit too hard to be indie and quirky, something that when done naturally can be hilarious, but when forced comes off as, well, forced, awkward and disappointing. For example, the town is dependent on a local thug who controls the only generator for miles.

The entire plot plays out like a pre-apocalyptic Road Warrior. Unfortunately there are not enough funny moments to make this a totally enjoyable movie. You watch it and then quickly forget it. If youre a fan of quirky indie movies, this is probably for you as there are some legitimate laughs for everyone. And in keeping with the do nothing theme of the movie, Sony Pictures didnt include and extras or special features with the DVD.

GordBurt By ERIN HARDE for the Leader-Post Exhibition Park swelled with Prairie pride Thursday night as Canadian music icon Tom Cochrane reminded the 5,500 people in attendance at his Buffalo Days show why its great to be from Saskatchewan hockey, women and the Riders. Flanked by the original Red Rider crew of guitarist Ken Greer and bassist Jeff Jones, Cochrane chatted with the crowd before most of the 14 songs, often to introduce them or just tell a story about his kids, aid work in Africa or the tough times during his life and career. I was bom in the Prairies, said the Lynn Lake, native, his eyes poking out from a gray sheepdog mane. But were tough sons of bitches, Cochrane shouted before launching into Sinking Like A Sunset. With songs that spanned the range of his catalogue including White Hot, Victory Day" and No Regrets, the entire lineup, all of them Canadian classics, provided a trip down memory lane, especially as Cochrane illustrated them with tales from his past.

Big League was preceded with a story about hanging out with the Oilers and Mark Messier, to which fans held up their cans of Canadian in appreciation. Untouchable One was about tough Prairie women. The seasoned performer, who released his first hit in 79 with Red Rider, was strong in voice and warm in demeanor, but it was Greer who brought the most impressive licks of the night Still, Cochrane went it alone with his guitar during an acoustic version of Avenue A Fans remained patient during a cover of Bird on a Wire and Good Times, both of which were also acoustic, but were clearly fidgety by the time the band was ready to kick the pace up again. Chants for Life Is A Highway soon paid off when Cochrane picked up his harmonica to play one of his most famous songs. Caught up in the moment, Cochrane jumped around with Jones, did a little air boxing and tried some fancy footwork.

If there was any doubt as to his sincerity by that point, Cochrane squashed it by coming out for the encore in a Rider jersey and some kudos for the teams 5-0 record, before finishing the show with Lunatic Fringe and Boy Inside the Man. TheTattooist Sony Pictures ((out of five) Jason Behr stars in The Tattooist as Jake Sawyer, an American tattoo artist who is working in Singapore. Jake was once an up-and-coming tattooist in the U.S., but was accused of stealing designs, so he went to the Far East where he gets involved with Asian mysticism, a beautiful lady and some haunted tattoos. Director Peter Burger doesnt deliver an outright horror movie, but more along the lines of a mystery thriller. The way the narrative played out was in the vein of horror movies like Shutter, but without the unexpectedly frightening bits.

It was as if the movie was in self-censorship mode, reeling itself back from the gory details, letting the mind imagine what befalls the victims. Horror fans may feel cheated as things dont get going until the 40-minute mark Its not until the third act that it becomes a horror movie, and by then, many viewers will have given up. Well, it sort of becomes a horror movie because in the last 15 minutes, it switches back and becomes a mystery again, which doesnt help with the flow of the film. The script is full of problems and the above identity crisis is the least of them. The movie wants us to learn all about Samoan culture, which is fine, but it dominates the film and theres hardly room for anything else.

The story involving the evil spirit doesnt completely make sense, and it almost feels as if it were thrown in as an afterthought, which is unfortunate as this is actually an interesting idea. The DVD contains audio commentary with Burger and Behr, deleted scenes, a 12-minute behind the scenes featurette and some smaller featurettes on tattoos and the Samoan culture but the most interesting bonus is the digital copy of the film which you can load directly onto your iPod. GordBurt Stargate Atlantis Season 4 MGM Home Video ((out of five) SGA: Season Four starts off resolving the cliffhanger of season three with Atlantis hurling through space having been forced off its world by a powerful weapon deployed by the replicators (replicated Atlantians). The immediate situation resolves itself, as expected, but also ends up With Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), from the parent show SGI, in charge of Atlantis. There are two main storylines running through Season 4.

First there is the Replicators vs. the Wraith which runs until midseason, and the mystery of the missing Anthosians starting off in the appropriately titled Missing, building up in the two-parter The Kindred, and then ending the season with The Last Man" fills the second half of the season. The second half of the season is less inspired and many of the filler episodes are downright boring. The single episodes didnt always tie into the big storylines and focused on a character or two in a more intimate setting such as the death of Colonel Sheppards father in Outcast, Teyla and new cast member Dr. Keller (Jewel Staite) in Missing, or McKay and Sheppard acting as bodyguards to a bratty monarch-to-be in Harmony.

Most of this season seemed to follow the exploits of Sheppard and McKay, which left little time for Ronon Dex and Keller. Dex has a few episodes but is relegated to a recurring supporting cast member instead of part of an ensemble while Keller just seems a poor replacement for the previous doctor, though by the end her character starts to really develop and show some guts. Unfortunately Tapping was underutilized which is unfortunate as she is strong character on SGI. There were a handful of episodes that really stood out such as the second episode Lifeline, or "Midway (with an SGI guest appearance). Season 4 is a less than perfect season, with lots of story problems but if you are a die-hard Stargate fan you will enjoy it and pray it does better in its fifth season.

The DVD set contains commentaries, deleted scenes, and is the first Atlantis DVD to have a blooper reel. GordBurt Beverly Hills 90210 Season 5) Paramount (out of five) Bye, bye Brenda, hello Valerie. Season 5 of Beverly Hills 90210 marks the end of original cast member Shannen Dohertys days on the long-running teen drama. Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh, reportedly left the show because of off-camera drama. At the beginning of the fifth season a new bad girl, Valerie Malone (played by Tiffani Thiessen), comes to the Walsh house to live in Brendas old room.

Val wastes no time getting cosy with a number of the male cast members and not surprisingly she and Kelly Taylor, the resident good girl played by Jennie Garth, do not get along. Other highlights from Season 5 are: Kelly suffers bums after she is trapped in a house fire; Dylan McKay, played by Luke Perry, struggles with addiction and personal demons; David Silver, played by Brian Austin Green, saves Donna Martin, played by Tori Spelling, from a rapist; and Andrea Zuckerman Vasquez, played by Gabrielle Carteris, brings her baby Hannah home from the hospital. The 32-episode season ends in a two-part season finale that sees both Brandon Walsh, played by Canadian Jason Priestley, and Dylan struggle after being rejected by Kelly, and Dylan begins the hunt for his fathers killer. Season 5 also sees three original cast members say goodbye when Jim and Cindy Walsh move to Hong Kong and Andrea leaves to attend Yale University. There are no extras on Season 5, but it is frill of drama and scandal.

It also comes out just as the new 90210 is set to premiere this fall. Courtney Wagner First Knight Special Editim Sony Pictures ((out of five) Originally released in 1995, First Knight isnt as epic or as bloody as Braveheart or as thoughtful as Rob Roy, two other medieval movies released at the same time, but First Knight has something those other pictures dont have: Sean Connery as King Arthur. Theres swordplay to the hilt, but the story itself never quite gets in Gere. As the horribly miscast Sir Lancelot, Richard Gere has the unenviable task of acting opposite the perfectly cast Connery and the radiant Julia Ormond as Lady Guinevere. The out-of-place Gere is missing the flashy swordsmanship and Errol Flynn panache (despite being coached by Bob Anderson who worked with Errol Flynn) and he doesnt do justice to the fine performances of Ormond and Connery.

Ormond does a great job of conveying Guineveres conflicting love for both men while Connery is both commanding and compassionate as king. First Knight tells the tale of Camelot, Arthur, his The Ruins: Unrated DreamWorks Entertainment ((out of five) Well filmed, mostly well acted, and with a plot as cheesy as a 1950s B-movie, The Ruins is fairly creepy but not very scary, mainly because you wont care less what happens to these pretty, yet stupid, people. The Ruins is surprisingly far more character-driven than the typical horror flick, as it spends large amounts of time detailing realistic survival scenarios before finally unleashing the supernatural elements. Adapted from Scott Smiths novel (Smith also wrote the screenplay), The Ruins is a simple story with little to differentiate the characters (theres the Uptight Guy, the Laidback Guy, the German Guy, the Ditzy Blonde and the Smart Brunette), though the menace (which isn't human, but something straight out of Little Shop of Horrors) and the Mayan angle are interesting. The Ruins is a nightmare to those who cant handle horrible things happening to the flesh; some very bad things happen to legs, arms, bellies, backs, heads and more.

Jeff (Uptight Guy) is in med school, so conducts on-the-spot surgery, vital to survival and to the films gross-out factor. Theres no glorification of the violence, no long, sweaty shots of the mutilations. When one character resorts to some self-surgery with a hunting knife (and its definitely gross, what with all that cutting, slicing and bloodletting) the real terror comes from the POPE JOAN Goodman back after lawsuit BERLIN John Goodman has rejoined the cast of the medieval epic Pope Joan, after producers sued him last year when he dropped out to take a supporting role in Speed Racer. The former Roseanne star was among the first actors cast for Sonke Wort-manns adaptation of Donna W. Cross best-seller, which has been plagued by production headaches.

Original star Franka Potente was replaced by Johanna Wokalek in the lead role, and producer Constantin Film fired first-choice director Volker Schlondorff in favor of Wortmann. Constantin sued Goodman in April 2007 for breach of contract but continued to negotiate with the actor in the hopes he would rejoin the project, a strategy that seems to have worked. ReutersHollywood Reporter II Ml Mi ii lA WANTEO(ISA) tlpMN VtOtMIM Pn Thun 9 10 WALL-E (Q) Prt-Own It 0 I JO, 7-00. O' 40 Won Thun 3 10 7 00 9 40 DARK KNIQHT (14A) Violence Prt-Tn It II, 0 to 0 41, 10-00 Wl Thr 3 30 0 4ft 10 00 WALLE (Q) Prt-Tun it 20 0,7 00,9 to Wd Thr 3 zft 7 0ft 910 JOURNEY TO CENTRE OF EARTH (PQ) FnghWWng Ocin PnfuM 12 26 3 16630920 Wwl 163 16030920 HELLBOV 3(14A) THE DARK KNIQHT (14A) HELLBOV H(14A) Violence Prt-TuM It 40, IN, 010, 0.40 WdTtV 3 60 ftft 9 40 SPACE CHIMPS (Q) Frt-TuM It tO, tO. 7-00, 0 II Wd Thr 320 7 00 9 16 STEP BROTHERS (14A) Co(M 0 Ung NuMy.

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