Daily News - Gary Thompson http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson RSS Feed for Gary Thompson en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:04:28 GMT Gary Thompson: 'Star Trek' DVD features trial video game, gag reel http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091120_Gary_Thompson___Star_Trek__DVD_features_trial_video_game__gag_reel.html WITH APOLOGIES to Sacha Baron Cohen and "Bruno," it's "Star Trek" week on DVD, with two versions of the early summer hit available. A toothless take on vampire book http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091119__newmoon.html "TWILIGHT: NEW Moon" is not a good movie, but who cares. Stephenie Meyer's saga has hacked into the reptilian cortex of the female brain the way "Grand Theft Auto" taps into the male (I'll leave it you to judge which is the superior gender), and all "New Moon" really needs to do is put Kristen Stewart within five feet of Rob Pattinson and his sparkly skin. Mission accomplished. 'The Messenger' has its moments, but - like recent others - doesn’t seal the deal http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091119_messenger.html In "The Messenger," Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play Army officers assigned to inform next of kin that their loved ones are dead, killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. 'Blind's' true tale of football player instead focuses on star Sandra Bullock http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091119_blindside.html "The Blind Side" has been called a crowd-pleaser, but movie chat spaces are already full of comments from a crowd that is not pleased. 'Planet' clones other animated sci-fi flicks http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091119_planet51.html The animated sci-fi spoof "Planet 51" makes you wonder if things might be more interesting on Planet 52. Gary Thompson: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091119_Gary_Thompson_.html ONE OF the nice things about being a movie reviewer is that you can be at home watching TV, the phone will ring, and it will be Werner Herzog. Gary Thompson: Special features spice 'Up' newly released Pixar fave http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091113_Gary_Thompson__Special_features_spice__Up__newly_released_Pixar_fave.html PIXAR'S "UP" arrives this week in many configurations, and I'll give one guess as to which direction the price goes as you add more discs to the package. Heavyweight champion http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091112_precious.html PHILADELPHIA'S Lee Daniels isn't just the producer and director of "Precious," he's its Capt. Chesley Sullenberger. As a movie, "Precious" is a perilous ride, one that often feels ready to nosedive, but never does. Against long odds, Daniels brings it to a safe and improbable landing, an outcome that under the circumstances feels like a triumph. ‘(Untitled)’ doesn’t try hard enough http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091112__Untitled__doesnt_try_hard_enough.html "(Untitled)" isn't untitled - its title is a hint that it has something to do with contemporary art. The movie (directed by "Bartelby" helmer Jonathan Parker) stars Adam Goldberg and Eion Bailey as contrasting brothers. Goldberg's a poor and obscure composer of atonal music, the other guy a rich and successful painter of soulless hotel art. World comes to end — again — in ‘2012’ http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/gary_thompson/20091112_World_comes_to_end__again__in_2012.html The clock is ticking, and "2012" aims to show all Twitter followers of Harry Knowles just how freaking awesome the apocalypse will be - Los Angeles slides into the sea, Vegas into the desert, and Yellowstone simply explodes (something that crossed the mind of anybody who tried to sit through that Ken Burns documentary).