Elf-Man (2012)

PICTURE THIS: an independent, family-friendly holiday movie from the creators of horror films such as House, Scarecrows, and Children of the Corn V – and featuring one of the stars of MTV’s Jackass?

Elf-Man tells the story of the Harper family – scientist dad Eric (The Facts of Life’s Mackenzie Astin), son Ryan (Blake Kaiser), daughter Kasey (Carly Robell), and visiting Gramma (Marty Terry) – who are about to celebrate their first Christmas without their mom, who recently died. After dad invents a powerful energy-conserving device on Christmas Eve, he steps out to run an errand and is abducted by a trio of bumbling kidnappers, led by Jeffrey Combs (of the ‘80s horror classic Re-Animator), who want Dad’s new invention for themselves.

Meanwhile, as Gramma puts the kids to bed, Santa and his sleigh arrive on the rooftop, accompanied by a pair of elves. To make Kasey’s Christmas wish for a happy family come true, he leaves behind one of his elves (Jason “Wee Man” Acuña) to help find Dad. Will the elf lose faith in himself, or will he find his true powers to become a real superhero?

Despite backgrounds in horror, Elf-Man director Ethan Wiley and co-writer Richard Jeffries do a commendable job of creating a balance in tone for kids and adults. They also successfully capture the idyllic setting of Christmas in a small town (Jeffries’ hometown of Frederick, MD), enhanced by the heartwarming score by Joseph Bauer.

That’s not to say Elf-Man is all warm and fuzzies. There’s plenty of action and hijinks to keep the film moving, including the antics of the kids, the elf, and the trio of goofy kidnappers – resulting in laugh-out-loud moments such as a funny homage to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and a running joke of people mistaking the elf for a troll, a hobbit, a leprechaun, and an Oompa-Loompa.

After the elf lets the kids down by not bringing their dad home, he get a firm talking-to by Dad’s female companion Amy (Mirrely Taylor) as she hands him a superhero suit made by the kids. He then transforms into Elf-Man (play along), pushing his elfin magic to the limit to stop the bad guys, bring back Dad’s invention, and create the happy family Christmas that Kasey asked for in her wish.

Some leaps in logic and continuity in Elf-Man may frustrate grown-ups, but kids won’t care or notice. And the acting range of Acuña and the kids is a bit limited compared to the experienced cast. But Elf-Man is fun family viewing and a nice detour from (or addition to?) the standard Christmas favorites we watch every year.

Rating:

What did FilmBoy and Jack-Jack think?

They both really enjoyed Elf-Man, laughing often at the stupidity of the kidnappers and rooting against them. Though when Dad and Amy share a mistletoe kiss, FilmBoy deadpanned, “I hate this movie.”

 

Is it suitable for your kids?

Elf-Man is not rated, but was given the “Family Approved” seal by The Dove Foundation.
Mild Rude Humor: Elf-Man handles a “pooper scooper” for Santa’s reindeer; one of the reindeer farts. Elf-Man belches loudly in the film’s finale.
Violence/Scariness: Dad is held captive by the three kidnappers; they tie him up and put duct tape over his mouth. Kasey cries in bed about her deceased mom, which may be upsetting to some younger children.
Language: Mild name-calling, such as “idiot” and pea-brain.”
Adult Situations: Dad and Amy share a romantic kiss.
Drugs/Alcohol: A man at a bar appears a bit inebriated.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Elf-Man can be fun holiday viewing for the whole family, FilmMother included…though I don’t know how she’ll feel about yet another family film featuring a dead mom (i.e. Finding Nemo, Bambi, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs).

Hold still…I’m just gonna take a little off the top…

Elf-Man
* Director: Ethan Wiley
* Screenwriters: Richard Jefferies, Ethan Wiley
* Stars: Blake Kaiser, Carly Robell, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, Jeffrey Combs, Mackenzie Astin, Mirelly Taylor
* MPAA Rating: N/A


Rent Elf-Man from Netflix >>

The Expendables 2 (2012)

IF YOU TOLD ME 20 YEARS AGO that Rambo, John McClane, and The Terminator were in the same movie, I would’ve pulled a muscle in my sprint to buy a ticket. But now that the men behind those three action icons have finally joined forces in this year’s The Expendables 2, the experience is hollow, anti-climactic, and two decades too late.

Not that Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger share equal screen time. Like the 2010 original Expendables, this is Stallone’s show, with Bruce and Arnold in supporting roles (though larger than their opening-and-gone appearances in the first film). Here, Stallone’s Barney Ross leads the same team of mercenaries – Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews – plus two new team members: young sniper Billy (Liam Hemsworth) and weapons specialist Maggie (Nan Yu).

The Expendables 2 opens with a spectacular attack and rescue sequence (despite cheesy CGI blood sprays and poor ADR). This ultimately leads Ross and his team to bad guy Vilain, played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, who’d be more intimidating if you could understand half of what he’s saying. Vilain and his small army plan to steal stockpiles of plutonium from an abandoned Russian mine and sell to the highest bidder, but not before Vilain kills one of Ross’ men. Judging from the pecking order of the cast, you can probably guess who it is (rhymes with “Shmemsworth”).

No one’s looking for high art in the Expendables films or the blow-‘em-ups of yesteryear they hope to emulate. But The Expendables 2 is dumb and ridiculous even by ‘80s standards. Cheesy one-liners elicit more groans than laughs, there are hackneyed references to the stars’ classic action characters and their catchphrases, and every other scene seems to be our heroes walking in slow motion to the “dum-da-da-dum” score by Bryan Tyler.

Essentially, The Expendables 2 is an exercise in missed opportunities. Li disappears after the opening sequence, Mickey Rourke (who had the most poignant scene in the original) does not appear, Van Damme and Lundgren never square off in a possible Universal Soldier rematch, and Chuck Norris’ cameo is pointless and uninspired (he’s basically the Mighty Eagle to the Expendables’ Angry Birds).

And yet again, not one member of Ross’ original team (despite the overwhelming odds) is killed or even seriously injured. Stallone and co-screenwriter Richard Wenk could have really upped the audience involvement by bumping off someone like Statham, Li, Lundgren, Couture, or Crews and made us thirsty for Van Damme’s blood. We can only hope that if the rumored Expendables 3 happens, Stallone and the filmmakers will take a chance and show just how expendable these kill-‘em-all characters truly are.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Expendables 2 is rated R for “strong bloody violence throughout,” and they ain’t kidding: shootings, beatings, stabbings, dismemberments, and immolation, to name a few. In addition, many, many things – from bridges to tanks to planes to buildings – are blown up, crashed, or demolished. Strangely, there is very mild use of profanities (though one use of “retard”).

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Highly, highly unlikely. Between the awful dialogue, bloody violence, and aged action stars, I think she’ll feel that what’s not expendable is 103 minutes of her life to sit through this.

Yay, we won! Orange whips on me!

The Expendables 2
* Director: Simon West
* Screenwriters: Richard Wenk, Sylvester Stallone
* Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Scott Adkins, Yu Nan
* MPAA Rating: R (strong bloody violence throughout)


Rent The Expendables 2 from Netflix >>

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

WHAT IF YOU WORKED at the same job for 30 years, with no change in your routine or position, and no acknowledgement from your co-workers – ever? Would you look to break free and find a better life?

That’s the premise of Wreck-It Ralph, Disney’s 52nd animated feature film. Tired of smashing buildings for 30 years as the bad guy in the arcade game Fix-It Felix, Jr., Ralph (John C. Reilly) leaves and explores other games in his arcade, in search of being a hero. After stealing the medal from the first-person shoot-‘em-up Hero’s Duty, Ralph frantically escapes and lands in the racing game Sugar Rush, with Felix (Jack McBrayer) and Hero’s Duty’s Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch) in hot pursuit.

Gamers from Generation X and younger will drool over the abundance of game titles and characters that pop up in the first act of Wreck-It Ralph, especially during the 30-year time lapse of Ralph’s arcade (titles go buzzing by) and the early scenes of Game Central Station, where characters from arcade games old and new cross paths on their way home from work.

What’s largely missing from the second act of Wreck-It Ralph is what Pixar seems to have sucked from Disney’s films over the last two decades: character development. For quite a while, the film is largely plot-driven, as we sit back and watch Ralph jump around the various video game worlds and meet all walks of digitized life, including Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), a glitchy little girl from Sugar Rush who has dreams of being a racing champion. As two kindred misfits, she and Ralph make a deal to help each other get what they want, and the action continues…

…until the third act, which begins with Ralph doing something that seems devastatingly cruel to Vanellope, yet makes us leap to where we should be in terms of caring for the characters. We hope Ralph will learn the truth about Sugar Rush’s mysterious past and help Vanellope achieve her dreams before the finale, which culminates in a one-two punch of a fantastic car race (including a huge reveal of the film’s true villain) coupled with the impending destruction of Sugar Rush from a horde of giant cyber-bugs Ralph accidentally brought in from Hero’s Duty.

Looking back on all the buzz that preceded Wreck-It Ralph’s release, there was no way for it to live up to the hype. But it still delivers in terms of pure entertainment. Some name-calling and poop jokes aside, it’s hopefully another solid step in Disney’s emergence from Pixar’s shadow and back to the quality animated storytelling they hinted at with Bolt a few years back.

Rating:

What did FilmBoy and Jack-Jack think?

FilmBoy loved Wreck-It Ralph – he and I couldn’t stop talking about it as we left the theater. His affection for video games and their characters surely played a part. Jack-Jack thought the film was “weird,” but couldn’t elaborate. The plot details and continuous action may have been a lot for him to process as a 6-year-old.

Is it suitable for your kids?

Wreck-It Ralph is rated PG for “some rude humor and mild action violence.”
Violence/Scariness: Heavily armed soldiers shoot at giant cyber-bugs, some of which grow machine gun arms and shoot (no one is hurt). A character comically pulls a zombie's heart out of his chest, then puts it back. In another comic scene, Calhoun punches Felix several times, giving him black eyes, broken teeth, and bruises (they heal immediately when he touches his face with his magic hammer). In a brief flashback, a character is eaten by an alien bug. Calhoun and Ralph occasionally punch others and destroy their surroundings. Vanellope drives her car into a wall and comically spits out a tooth (no blood). Mean girls tear apart Vanellope’s car, which Ralph helps rebuild but then destroys himself because he’s told that racing it could kill her (she sobs and calls him names). The film’s villain makes a final appearance in a mutated form that could be scary to young children. A little girl transforms into a princess and tells other girls they will be executed for being mean; she then says it was a joke. There’s talk about characters dying permanently outside of their own video games; a few scenes show characters in life-threatening situations.
Language: There’s frequent use of insults and name-calling, including “I hate you," "shut your chew hole," "pussy willows," "doody," "numbskull," “moron,” “idiot,” “dumb,” “stupid,” “diaper-baby,” “stinky brain,” and my personal favorite, “Miss Fartfeathers.” Rude humor includes mentions of “puke,” “butt load,” and a running joke about Hero’s Duty (as in “doody.”).
Alcohol: A character pours himself a martini. A scene takes place in a game called Tapper, in which characters drink root beer from beer mugs. Characters are also briefly seen drinking at a dance party.
Adult situations: Two characters exchange a passionate kiss in two different scenes.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Even if she’s not a serious gamer, she’ll love Wreck-It Ralph: endearing characters on a fantastic adventure, with several tender moments served up along the way. (Also, Disney, if you’re reading this: My wife said she would love to play the game Sugar Rush for real. Get on that, please.)

In one of these hands, I’ve got Q*Bert.

Go ahead…guess.

I SAID GUESS!!!

Wreck-It Ralph
* Directors: Rich Moore
* Screenwriters: Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee
* Stars: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman
* MPAA Rating: PG


Rent Wreck-It Ralph from Netflix >>

Westworld (1973)

MENTION THE NAME “MICHAEL CRICHTON,” and most people think of the best-selling author of thrillers such as The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Disclosure, and Rising Sun.

But in the early 1970s – after witnessing the animatronic people at Disneyland’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride – Crichton wrote and directed his feature-film debut, Westworld.

In the near-future of Westworld, people can spend $1,000 a day to visit Delos, an adult-themed amusement park where guests live out their wildest fantasies. Comprised of three worlds (Medieval World, Roman World, and Westworld), Delos is inhabited by robots who look, act, sound, and even bleed just like the human guests. Like Disney World, Delos is supported by an elaborate underground control center, where a staff of technicians controls the robots and the scenarios, and provides repair to robots damaged in the action taking place.

It’s Westworld where our leading men are headed: manly man John (James Brolin) and nebbish Peter (Richard Benjamin). Once they arrive, the two have lots of fun with saloon whiskey, loose women, bar fights, and jailbreaks. They even engage in shootouts, often with a steely-eyed troublemaker dressed in black (Yul Brynner). Everything’s good-time, rootin’-tootin’ fun – until the robots start malfunctioning and killing the guests.

Throughout Westworld, Crichton teases at the potential breakdown of the Delos parks: the supervisor (Alan Oppenheimer) voices his concern, a malfunctioning robo-rattlesnake bites John, and a Medieval World wench (Anne Randall) refuses a guest’s seduction. These minor glitches soon develop into to deadly attacks on the guests, with a fatal swordfight in Medieval World, a violent riot in Roman World, and Brynner’s gunslinger coldly gunning down a Westworld guest.

While Brynner is in Westworld for less than half its running time, his robotic gunslinger steals the film. In an homage to his character from The Magnificent Seven (he even wears the same outfit), Brynner portrays the perfect blend of ice-cold killer and calculating humanoid, with a piercing stare made extra chilling by Brynner sporting light-reflecting contact lenses.


After shooting one of our leading men dead, Westworld’s gunslinger methodically pursues the survivor through all three Delos parks – thumbs hooked in his gun belt, eyes fixed on his target, and using thermal vision (shown in POV) more than a decade before Predator.

Yes, Westworld has its plot holes, it dips into camp on occasion, and a lot of the dialogue (especially between Brolin and Benjamin) is disposable. But it’s still a very entertaining film that’s essentially the blueprint for Crichton’s more ambitious themepark-run-amok story: his 1990 novel Jurassic Park.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Westworld is rated PG, though if it was released today it may have been PG-13.
Violence/Scariness: Several people and robots are shot or stabbed, with blood pouring from the wounds; a robot is set on fire and fully engulfed in flames; John and Peter shoot a robotic rattlesnake; the Delos technicians suffocate after the park’s breakdown cuts off their air supply.
Sex/Nudity: John and Peter sleep with robot hookers at the saloon; one of the hookers is shown topless from the back.
Profanity/Language: Two occurrences of “God damn it.”

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Westworld feels like a film you’d enjoy by yourself, with friends, or possibly with your tween or teen son. Unless your FilmMother is a sci-fi fan, or a Crichton fan who wants to see his filmmaking debut, I’m guessing she’ll pass.

Boy, have we got a vacation for YOU!

 Westworld
* Director: Michael Crichton
* Screenwriter: Michael Crichton
* Stars: Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Yul Brynner, Dick Van Patten, Alan Oppenheimer
* MPAA Rating: PG


Rent Westworld from Netflix >>

Congrats to the winner of the RAIDERS! contest!

And the winner is...

Phillyradiogeek

Check out his great takes on retro pop culture at
Me and You and a Blog Named Boo!

Win a copy of the book RAIDERS!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made!

YOU COULD WIN a copy of the new book RAIDERS!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made by Alan Eisenstock with Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos!

Book synopsis:

In 1981, Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala met on a school bus. They shared Chris’s Raiders of the Lost Ark comic book and Chris asked Eric to help him remake the movie. Seven years and many clunky 8mm cameras later, they finished what they called Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. By then, they’d nearly burned down Eric’s house, torched Eric, survived their families’ financial turmoil, parents’ divorces and remarriages, and finally the collapse of their friendship. What held them together, barely, was their movie. RAIDERS! tells the story of how these guys made their film, purchasing props with their pooled allowance money and scant savings, and how they created the big effects (Indy being dragged behind the truck) and big props (the boulder) using their resourcefulness and creativity. Steven Spielberg himself discovered and embraced the film, saying, “To this day [it’s] still the best piece of flattery George (Lucas) and I ever received.”

How to Enter:
Comment on this post by November 9, 2012. I will pick one comment at random and post the winner soon after. (The winner will have to e-mail me their mailing address to receive their prize.)

Rules:

• You must have a link to your e-mail address on your Blogger profile page. If not, you must provide your e-mail address in your comment.
• Prize is available to United States mailing addresses only. (No P.O. Boxes, please.)

View the book trailer:

Watch the first 10 minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation:

Good luck!

A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures (2010)

AFTER HIS LACKLUSTER ANIMATED FILM Fly Me to The Moon in 2008, director Ben Stassen knew he had to step up his game for his next effort.

And while his follow-up A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures is no masterpiece, it’s lightyears better than Moon. (See what I did there? Lightyears? Moon? It’s a space joke, people.)

A Turtle’s Tale follows the journey of Sammy (voiced by Ben 10’s Yuri Lowenthal), a sea turtle who leaves the beach where he was born and spends the next 50 years exploring the world's oceans -- all while trying to find his first love, a female turtle named Shelly (Gemma Arterton).

Comparisons between A Turtle’s Tale and Finding Nemo are unavoidable and numerous – a sea creature searching the oceans for a missing loved one, meeting all walks (and swims) of life, encountering danger from both sea and man…yet there’s one area for comparison that is in A Turtle’s Tale’s favor: the animation. Stassen’s team has done a superior job of creating an underwater world that’s rich in colors, extremely fluid, and intricately detailed.

Despite this deep, lush world of CGI animation, the themes and characters in A Turtle’s Tale are ironically two-dimensional. All attempts at emotion or depth seem flat and uninspired, Sammy’s many adventures across the sea are less compelling than they should be, and when he finally finds Shelly (what, you thought he wouldn’t?), it’s one of the more anticlimactic reunions between two lost loves in recent memory, turtle or otherwise.

Another turn-off is the heavy-handed environmental message. In addition to fighting foes in the ocean, Sammy battles oil spills, plastic bags, trees being felled in a rain forest, pollution dumped in the ocean, and humans trying to harpoon whales. He even gets a peace sign painted on his shell by a family of neo-hippies he meets in his travels.


In addition to Lowenthal and Arterton, A Turtle’s Tale features celebrity voices by Anthony Anderson as Sammy’s best friend (and fellow turtle) Ray, Tim Curry as a mischievous cat, and Kathy Griffin as a wisecracking mama turtle.

 
A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures is a simple story of one little turtle’s journey through life. Unfortunately, its simplicity is also its downfall. It’s sweet but not sensational, nice but not awesome, watchable but far from a classic.

Not that any of that stopped Stassen: He released A Turtle's Tale 2 earlier this year.

Rating:

What did FilmBoy think?

He gave it 3 stars, saying it was a good movie…but he couldn’t think of anything specifically good about it.

Is it suitable for your kids?

A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures is rated PG for mild peril. Baby turtles are in danger of being picked off by seagulls during their dash from the beach to the ocean; Sammy and Shelly face random perils via a bald eagle, the blades of a tanker, and various predator fish; and whalers attempt to spear a humpback whale. There’s also ongoing discussion of finding a perfect mate, but nothing inappropriate for grade-school kids. Maybe proceed with caution with preschoolers and younger.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

She’ll probably find A Turtle’s Tale cute and harmless, but otherwise unmemorable.

Owwww…getitoff, getitoff, GETITOFF!!

A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures
* Director: Ben Stassen
* Screenwriters: Ben Stassen, Dominic Paris
* Stars: Yuri Lowenthal, Anthony Anderson, Gemma Arterton, Melanie Griffith, Isabelle Fuhrman, Sydney Hope Banner, Ed Begley Jr., Kathy Griffin, Tim Curry, Jenny McCarthy
* MPAA Rating: PG


Rent A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures from Netflix >>

Congrats to the winner of the Dark Shadows Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Combo Pack!

And...

The winner is...

Steve Weber!

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

A Cat in Paris (2010)

THE 2012 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES for Best Animated Feature were an odd lot. Odd in the sense that they were not another predictable batch of contenders from Pixar and DreamWorks (and maybe a token nominee from a third studio who had no chance of winning).

No, 2012’s nominees included only two from DreamWorks (Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2) and none from Pixar (thanks to their horrible misfire Cars 2). The remaining nods were given to the Spanish-language Chico & Rita, the deserving winner Rango, and the French film A Cat in Paris.

Co-directed by Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol, A Cat in Paris follows the double life of Dino the cat, a family pet by day and assistant to crafty cat burglar Nico (Steve Blum) by night. Dino’s human family – daughter Zoe (Lauren Weintraub) and policewoman mother Jeanne (Marcia Gay Hayden) – are grieving the death of their dad/husband, a policeman killed by mobster Victor Costa (J.B. Blanc). Zoe’s been mute since the incident, but finds comfort in Dino and the “presents” he brings her: dead rodents and reptiles. But soon, Dino’s two lives intersect, putting Nico at risk of being arrested and Zoe’s life at risk from seeing too much of Costa’s world.

The hand-drawn animation is the first thing that sets A Cat in Paris apart from other recent animated films. It’s an abstract, art deco style, full of shadows and vibrant colors, that makes it feel like a classic children’s storybook come to life. Felicioli and Gagnol (working from a clever, often humorous script by Gagnol and Jacques-Rémy Girerd) create great empathy for Zoe and Jeanne, and even have us hoping Nico doesn’t get caught despite the large amount of valuables he’s stolen.

Once Dino’s two worlds cross paths, A Cat in Paris really picks up (accompanied by Serge Besset’s pulse-pounding score) – taking us from foot and car pursuits, to a chase across the rooftops of Paris, to a final showdown atop the Notre Dame cathedral.

At a trim 62 minutes, A Cat in Paris is a welcome detour from what we encounter (and expect) from the big animation studios. Oscar-worthy? That’s debatable. What’s not debatable is that it’s definitely worth watching.

French, with dubbing/subtitles.

Rating:

What did FilmBoy think?

He enjoyed A Cat in Paris very much – eating up Dino’s antics, rooting for the good guys, and cursing the bad guys.

 Is it suitable for your kids?

A Cat in Paris is rated PG for “mild violence and action, and some thematic material.”
Thematic material: Zoe and her mom are sometimes sad over her dad’s death; Nico steals valuable items and money from homes and museums (he is a cat burglar, after all). There's champagne and wine at a dinner scene, and one character smokes a cigarette.
Language: Costa says he scared one of his cronies so much, “you nearly wet your undies!” He also calls one of his thugs an “idiot.” A minor character says, “You sneaky son of a -” (not finishing the phrase)
Violence/Scariness: Costa slaps one of his men, fires warning shots at another, kidnaps Zoe, chokes Jeanne, and fights Nico, knocking out one of his teeth. (He’s also depicted in a dream sequence as a large, creepy octopus, which may scare young children.) Elsewhere, Dino scratches a person's leg, which briefly bleeds; Nico takes a policeman's gun and holds it on him and Jeanne; detectives shoot guns at a firing range; Dino bloodlessly kills a lizard; and a major character falls to their death.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

A cat. Paris. The value and importance of family. Something tells me she may enjoy it.

"Um, little help?"

A Cat in Paris
* Directors: Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol
* Screenwriters: Alain Gagnol, Jacques-Rémy Girerd
* Stars: Marcia Gay Harden, Steve Blum, J.B. Blanc, Lauren Weintraub, Matthew Modine
* MPAA Rating: PG


Rent A Cat in Paris from Netflix >>

Win a Dark Shadows Blu-ray Combo Pack!

New to home video today is director Tim Burton's Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp. And you could win your very own Dark Shadows Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack!

Synopsis: Barnabas Collins (Depp) has been trapped for two centuries by an evil witch (Eva Green) who just happens to be an ex-lover. Barnabas now has to struggle with the ever-changing 1970s and save his family's business! With an all-star cast that includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Grace Moretz, and more.

How to Enter:
Comment on this post by October 12, 2012. I will then pick one comment at random and post the winner soon after. (The winner will have to e-mail me their mailing address to receive their prize.)

Rules:

• You must have a link to your e-mail address on your Blogger profile page. If not, you must provide your e-mail address in your comment.
• Prize is available to United States mailing addresses only. (No P.O. Boxes, please.)

After you comment, be sure to try the Dark Shadows App, featuring:

• Are You Creepy Enough? - Do your friends refer to you as a Child of the Night, or do you shiver at the thought of a Creepy-Crawly? Take the Are You Creepy Enough? quiz to find out.
• Barnabas’ Terror Trivia - Are you a Barnabas buff? Take this "3 truths and a lie" trivia all about Barnabas Collins and unlock clips and downloads from Dark Shadows. 
• Dark Shadows Horror-Scope - Whether you're a Virgo Vampire or a Transylvanian Taurus, you can get your custom hauntified Horror-Scope.