The Major New DVDs and Videos This Week THIS WEEK
The 2 biggest films coming out for home use tomorrow are both not very good. But since you may be curious to see them, and nothing I can say will change that, I’ll preview them for you.
The complete list of new releases will appear tomorrow, but for right now, here’s a look at the “major” releases for Tuesday, July 23, 2002:
CROSSROADS- Sometimes bad movies can be just what you want. Other times they are just bad. This title is the latter. The virginal Britney Spears goes on a road trip with her childhood friends right after high school graduation. One of them wants to compete in a rock ‘n roll talent contest, though her blossoming pregnancy might be a barrier. Besides, the girl can’t really sing and it’s Britney who spends all her time writing “poetry” in a little notebook she carries around. The audience laughed when a hunky boyfriend asked if he could look at her notebook and set her words to music, thereby creating Britney’s then-current hit single “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.” What were they expecting? I would have been shocked if that scene hadn’t happened. The movie also has one of the most over-the-top melodramatic climaxes not seen since the heyday of the women’s film in the ’40s. By the way, she’s actually not that bad an actress. And for the record, the Ralph Macchio movie called “Crossroads” was much better.
THE TIME MACHINE- After L.A. Confidential, Russell Crowe exploded into a major superstar, snagging one important role after enough. The equally compelling Guy Pearce took his own sweet time, finally delivering his first major role in an offbeat independent film . . . called Memento. So there was method to his madness. But Pearce’s taste in mainstream movies isn’t nearly as canny as Crowe’s. He’s since starred in a dull remake of The Count of Monte Cristo and this disastrously silly remake of Time Machine. He cuts a dashing figure, so there’s no reason Pearce couldn’t be an action star, I suppose. Pearce should scurry back to smart, independent moviemaking before what little box office pull he has left is squandered. Don’t waste you time!
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