Little Fockers DVD review

There were two major releases this week on DVD and blu-ray; the first was The Green Hornet.  The second was Little Fockers, starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in the third film in the franchise.  I am a big fan of the first film, Meet the Parents.  It did so many things right, it was really refreshing.  The second film, Meet the Fockers, wasn't the best in movie history, but still good.  It introduced Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman in hilarious roles.  Now, Little Fockers, oh boy, here we go.

What I liked about the movie:
Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman
There was a bunch of drama prior to the movie being shot about whether Dustin Hoffman would even be in the movie.  Then there were reshoots for his character.  Let me start by saying that, Streisand and Hoffman are in the movie for a total of about three minutes.  So the movie is so bad that the parts making up 5% of the movie are the only things I enjoyed in the film.  They're funny, loveable Fockers and scored points for me.

What I didn't like about the movie:
Jessica (I'm a terrible actress) Alba
Wow.  And that's not a positive wow, that's a "wow, how the hell is this woman making money for this".  Alba is a terrible actress in general, but this movie... this movie takes the cake as her worse.  She is about as bad as Anne Hathaway as an Oscar host, THAT bad.  She's overzealous, annoying, disingenuous and down right bad.  Her character could have been a breath of fresh air, but she phoned in her performance just like the rest of the cast.

The rest of the cast
The movie has become the definition of a "paycheck" in Hollywood.  Robert De Niro made fun of himself while accepting an award, referencing his performance in Little Fockers.  This man is a two-time Oscar winner?  "The God-Focker"?  Really?  What the F happened to the Godfather!?!?!  Whoa.  Ben Stiller tries his best but can't duplicate the success of the previous two films.

Teri Polo is wasted completely as a stay at home mom.  And most importantly, the little Fockers themselves... not very good child actors.  In fact, they don't do much.  The only reason they're in the film is to have a reason to bring DeNiro and Stiller together.  Wow, so bad.  I also don't want to forget Owen Wilson in what will surely be one of his worse movies in... the next year or so ;o)

The story
I don't want to spend more than a sentence or two on this.  The little Fockers are turning five, and everyone is invited.  Much like the second film where DeNiro suspects that Stiller has a son, in this movie he suspects Stiller of cheating with Alba's character.  I'll let you all figure out the rest.


The DVD:
Lots of options, very little substance
The list of features is pretty long, but not many that I cared for.  Here are all the special features:
Alternate Opening: Wedding Dream and Morning Wakeup
Alternate Ending: Treehouse
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
The Making of A Godfocker: Behind the Scenes of Little Fockers
Bout Time
The Focker Foot Locker

I liked the making of featurette, but that was pretty much it. The rest is a ways of space on the DVD.


The verdict:
Skip it entirely
I know I sound harsh, but it's bad, really really bad.  I always defend films that are bashed on by the critics.  But with a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, we can't all be wrong!

Robert De Niro Chases a "Limitless" Bradley Cooper In This New Trailer

It's rare, but it happens... a Hollywood plot I haven't really seen before. Bradley Cooper plays a guy who just found a way to use the entire power of his brain. Imagine that for a second. The average human uses something like 10%, what if that were 100%? This trailer shows us what happens. Enjoy Robert De Niro chasing Bradley Cooper in this Limitless trailer. The film hits theaters in March of 2011.

"Uncharted" Movie with Wahlberg, De Niro and Pesci?

We all know directors like working with actors they've worked with before; so a new rumor about the Uncharted movie comes at no surprise. Mark Wahlberg as Drake? Pretty cool casting huh? But again, not a huge surprise. What WILL surprise you is the following.

There was a crazy rumor online that Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci were also set to star in the film. I don't know much about the game, but I'm assuming as a father or uncle or whatnot. That rumor died really quickly. BUT! Wahlberg revived it when he was asked about taking on the role of Drake, and here's what he said:

That’s who he wants to write the parts for. I talked to Pesci about it and I know David’s people have talked to [Robert De Niro]… I’m obviously in whatever David wants to do it but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It’s not going to be the watered-down version, that’s for sure.

Whoa, the rumors were true? Or they weren't? I don't know what to think anymore. Still sounds pretty interested. David O. Russell is getting a lot of attention for the Wahlberg and Christian Bale starring The Fighter. The movie is getting some pretty amazing reviews, and will surely be a favorite come Oscar season. So what do you think about Wahlberg, DeNiro and Pesci in a video game adaptation?

"Little Fockers" Poster

Hey, some people are still excited about seeing the third movie in the Meet the Parents franchise. Little Fockers is going to continue the tradition of the first two films with Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller going head to head. I'm sure the script is going to include a lot of physical comedy and uncomfortable moments just like its predecessors. You interested in a third film?

"Little Fockers" Trailer

The latest trailer for Little Fockers, the second sequel to Meet the Parents is out on iTunes.

The film stars Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Harvey Keitel and Barbara Streisand with Paul Weitz directing.

Click here to watch the trailer on Apple's site.

Scorsese Wants De Niro and Pacino for a Sinatra Biopic

Martin Scorsese has been planning on making a Frank Sinatra biopic for a while now, and there is a lot of information about it so far. Some info is rumors, some is confirmed. Here's what we know so far. The film is to be called Sinatra. Universal has already made a deal with Tina Sinatra, Frank's daughter, and the Sinatra Estate and Warner Music Group to allow them to use any of Frank's original recordings, which may even include some unreleased material. Tina Sinatra is already on as executive producer of the project and given Scorsese full control of the project has stated that she trusts him to "present the truth" about the legendary singer. Deadline|Hollywood's Nikki Finke had previously stated that Universal's top pick to play the lead was Johnny Depp. However, in a recent interview Scorsese gave with The Hindu, a national Indian newspaper, he states "I'm yet to spot the actor who can bring back Frank Sinatra alive on screen. My choice is Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro as Dean Martin."



Scorsese also confirms in the interview that the initial script is ready, which was written by Academy Award nominee Phil Alden Robinson, who wrote and directed Field of Dreams.

In an interview with ShortList, Scorsese has stated the following about the structure: "in structure I’d like it to be more like GoodFellas. But like The Aviator, it only deals with certain times in his life. We can’t go through the greatest hits of Sinatra’s life. We tried this already. Just can’t do it. So the other way to go is to have three or four different Sinatras. Younger. Older. Middle-aged. Very old. You cut back and forth in time – and you do it through the music. See what I’m saying?"


What do you guys think? Is Pacino the right choice to play Ol' Blue Eyes?

Quickie: "Machete" Casting News

2007's "Grindhouse," which had two separate features films directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino respectively, had faux movie trailers in between the real two features. One of the trailers was for an action picture called "Machete," starring Danny Trejo (Con Air) as a machete-wielding Mexican ex-Federale bent on revenge after being double-crossed by a corrupt state senator named McLaughlin.

Well Robert Rodriguez is now bringing this entertaining little trailer to life in the form of a full-length feature.

Bloody Disgusting has posted some very interesting casting news recently.
Aside from the obvious Danny Trejo being cast as "Machete," they are reporting that Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious) is set to play the character "Luz," Jonah Hill (Superbad) will play "Julio," and the Robert DeNiro will play "Senator McLaughlin."

Hmmm... I can see Michelle Rodriguez cast in this movie. That makes sense.
And Robert DeNiro being cast, while totally awesome, isn't much of a shocker either. Tarantino and DeNiro have strong ties leading back to "Jackie Brown," and seeing how Tarantino and Rodriguez are very close friends, this one is very possible.

The surprise here is Jonah Hill. This news, if true, leads me to believe that the film will probably have the same underlying comedy cheesiness of the original trailer.

Any thoughts?