Entertainment Picks (February 26, 2010)

Entertainment

February 23, 2010

3 Things to check out this weekend

The Hurt Locker

DVD ($26.99)

An elite group of American soldiers in an Iraqi war zone puts their lives on the line every day by disarming bombs before---hopefully---anyone gets blown to smithereens. This superb war-movie drama, nominated for several 2010 Academy Awards, stars Jeremy Renner in a career-making spotlight as a reckless sergeant who finds out just how addictive the action can be.

—Neil Pond, American Profile

Taking Woodstock

DVD ($29.98)

Based more or less on a true story, this coming-of-age comedy from 2009 shows how a run-down motel in sleepy upstate New York became the unlikely nerve center of the three-day peace-love-and-music festival that defined a generation. Colorfully far-out characters abound, and the groovy soundtrack (by renowned composer Danny Elfman) creates musical moods to match the free-flowing flower power.

—Neil Pond, American Profile

Mickey Rooney: The Long & Short Of It

DVD ($32.98)

One of Hollywood’s most bankable stars throughout the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, Rooney stood only 5’3” but cast a long entertainment shadow across stage, screen and TV. This handsome, six-disc collector’s set rounds up 14 of his vintage movies plus three “Mickey McGuire” theatrical shorts, numerous TV clips and a parade of movie trailers charting his seven-decade acting career.

—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Entertainment

Entertainment Picks (July 30, 2010)
Extraordinary Measures,

Doo Wop,

Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure

July 28, 2010
Entertainment Picks (July 23, 2010)
The Karate Kid/The Karate Kid II Collector’s Edition,

The Devil Can Ride,

Alice in Wonderland

July 23, 2010
Entertainment Picks (July 16, 2010)
Rock Shrines,

Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites,

The Leaders We Deserved (And A Few We Didn’t)

July 14, 2010
Entertainment Picks (July 9, 2010)
Steven Seagal Lawman: The Complete Season One,

I’ll Wait in the Car,

Twistable, Turnable Man: A Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein
Various artists

July 6, 2010
GAMETIME: Split/Second
As we all know, racing involves drivers competing against each other at breakneck speeds in usually fragile cars. One wrong move can send one of these cars spiraling out of control and seriously ruin somebody’s day. If that doesn’t sound dangerous enough, the team behind the new racing game Split/Second decided to make your greatest enemy the tracks themselves. The premise behind Split/Second is simple: the titular show decides to rig racetracks with explosives and traps. The drivers can activate these tracks periodically throughout the races, to either destroy the other racers or alter the course. And of course, all of this resulting chaos is filmed and put onto the television. Big booms equal big ratings, right? It’s here that Split/Second runs into its biggest and most disappointing flaw: the only time you’re reminded that you’re racing for a show is the occasional announcer between episodes in the career mode. While this doesn’t hurt the gameplay in any real way, the game could’ve really benefited from announcers commenting on the chaotic races. It was a missed opportunity to not provide any witty or humorous voice-overs.

June 30, 2010
Entertainment Picks (July 2, 2010)
The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science,

The A-Team: The Complete Series,

Letter to Heaven: Songs of Faith and Inspiration
Dolly Parton

June 30, 2010
Entertainment Picks (June 25, 2010)
Pop Memories of the ’60s,

Edge of Darkness,

Under the Neon Sky

June 23, 2010
Entertainment Picks (June 18, 2010)
Valentine’s Day,

Curtains: Adventures of an Undertaker-In-Training,

The Sundance Kid,

NOW That’s What I Call the USA: The Patriotic Country Collection

June 18, 2010
GAMETIME: Final Fantasy XIII
The Final Fantasy series has always been known for its stellar production values, brilliant storytelling and interestingly varied cast of characters. I’m talking about the “main” Final Fantasy series, the ones with the roman numerals, not the vast number of spin-off series that these games have started. Square Enix’s amazing work has earned them a large number of devoted fans, fans who eagerly look forward to the next title in the series; such as the recently-released Final Fantasy XIII. Square Enix has outdone itself with this latest title, which is easily apparent as soon as you boot up the game and the intro video gushes out of your TV screen. They make full use of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3’s graphic power to bring you a beautiful game, just like they used to with the PlayStation 2. If you aren’t playing this on a high-definition television, you’re definitely missing out on one of the best-looking games out there.

June 16, 2010
Entertainment Picks (June 11, 2010)
Record Store Days,

Saving Private Ryan,

Life

June 8, 2010
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