January 12, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • Page 23 Steve Carell plays social misfit in ‘Dinner for Schmucks’ by Dennis Seuling “Dinner for Schmucks” (Paramount Home Entertainment) is the story of Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd), an analyst working his way up the corporate ladder at a Los Angeles financial firm. He is looking forward to a promotion that will impress his girlfriend, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), enough to say “yes” to his frequent marriage proposals. His boss, Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood), places one condition on his advancement: He must attend a secret dinner at Fender’s mansion and bring an unusual guest for the company’s top executives to ridicule. It’s a dinner for schmucks. Tim accidentally runs into the perfect dinner companion when his Porsche hits IRS employee Barry Speck (Carell), who is bending down in the middle of the road to pick up a dead mouse. Why? Barry creates meticulous dioramas using mice he collects and preserves. “Dinner for Schmucks” has a similar tone to “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” also starring Carell and Rudd. But “Dinner for Schmucks” is not as sharply written and Carell’s stock character -- a disaster at social relationships -- is by now wearing a bit thin. The film is schizophrenic. Sometimes it goes for broad laughs. Other times, it works too hard to show that though Barry available on Blu-ray and DVD. “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” (Warner Home Video), based on a series of books by Kathryn Lasky, is the tale of a group of young owls who search for the mysterious kingdom of the guardians: owls dedicated to upholding the owl kingdoms against an evil gang called the Pure Ones. Visually striking, this animated adventure contains plenty of action, good characters, humor, memorable villains, and admirable heroes. The premise is intriguing, and the vocal talents (Helen Mirren, Abbie Cornish, Miriam Margolyes, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, and Hugo Weaving) are first-rate. The film’s primary flaw is a long second act with lots of exposition, which lumbers along until it picks up once again for a rousing finale. For a film geared to children, this is deadly. The Blu-ray/DVD/digital combo pack’s bonuses include four artwork galleries, a mini-documentary on the world of owls, and the new Looney Tunes cartoon, “Fur of Flying.” “Howl” (Oscilloscope) is drawn from transcripts of court testimony, a 1957 interview with Alan Ginsberg, and his poem “Howl.” The best thing about this often uneven film is James Franco, who portrays Ginsberg with a mixture of awkward tentativeness, bravado, and emerging self-confidence. This is the 1950s Ginsberg, who believed he could say anything he wanted in “Howl” because he assumed it would never be published. Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have incorporated animated sequences to enliven Franco’s reading of the poem, and have assembled a very fine supporting cast, including David Strathairn, Treat Williams, Jeff Daniels, Jon Hamm, and MaryLouise Parker, but the movie always seems off its mark in relating the title poem to the Beat Generation it inspired. “Once Upon a Time in America” (Warner Home Video) stars Robert De Niro, James Woods, Jennifer Connelly, Tuesday Weld, Elizabeth McGovern, and Joe Pesci in a story spanning 50 years and centering on the underworld on New York’s Lower East Side. Director Sergio Leone moves back and forth in time in the first part of the film, establishing relationships and contrasting the changing times and how boyhood pals Noodles (De Niro) and Max (Woods) graduate from small-time rackets to more dangerous and more lucrative pursuits. Leone has a sharp eye for period detail, and this film will remind viewers of “The Godfather” with its vintage cars, clothing, and music. In 1984, Leone turned over a 10hour version, which was cut to two and a half hours for general release. This re-mastered edition includes footage never seen in North American theaters. “Love Hurts” (E One Entertainment) is a sluggish romantic comedy that lacks sparkle. After 20 years of marriage, Amanda (Carrie-Anne Moss) is leaving her husband, Ben (Richard E. Grant). Because he is a man who lives by routine, Ben is thrown into a tailspin, cries uncontrollably, and turns to the bottle, all this while his wife moves on to other men. Ben’s son Justin (Johnny Pacar) helps Ben out of his depression by drawing on his teen instincts to push his dad into hipper clothes, a better hairstyle, and looser women (including Jenna Elfman and Janeane Garofalo). Enjoying his newly transformed persona, Ben is still unable to shake Amanda out of his system and eventually drops his swinging facade to recapture his humanity and his wife. The problem is predictability. Writer/ director Barra Grant takes few chances, settling for a routine story. There are no extras on this bare-bones DVD release. “And Soon the Darkness” (Anchor Bay) is a thriller about two American girls who embark on a bicycle tour through a remote part of Argentina’s countryside. Stephanie (Amber Heard) and Ellie (Odette Yustman) want to spend their girls’ getaway basking in the sun, shopping, and flirting with the handsome locals. After a long night of bar hopping, the girls get into an argument and Stephanie heads out alone in the morning to cool off. When she returns, Ellie is gone. Finding signs of a struggle, Stephanie fears the worst and turns to the police, who are overworked with a string of unsolved kidnappings of young female tourists. Ellie enlists the aid of Michael (Karl Urban), an American staying at their hotel, and the two begin a frantic search. Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes, the director’s video diary featuring behind-the-scenes footage, and commentary by the director, cinematographer, and editor. Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. seems to be a loser, he has a good heart. Director Jay Roach knows that the biggest laughs often come not from the “bit” but from characters’ reactions to it, and he exploits this throughout. However, his editing is a comedy killer. A scene in which Barry’s wife-stealing IRS coworker (Zach Galifianakis) demonstrates his “mind control” over Barry, for example, is endless and flat. Extras include a 15-minute making-of documentary with cast and crew, a featurette on the mouse dioramas used in the movie, a segment on the folks with unique talents featured in the dinner scenes, deleted scenes, and outtakes. “Dinner for Schmucks” is C • O • R • T• I • N • A Fine Dining For Lunch & Dinner Dine & Dance - Live Entertainment R I S T O R A N T E Lunch Starts at $7.00 • Mon-Fri 11:30AM–2:30PM Dinner Starts at $12 • Mon-Thurs 5PM–9:30PM • Fri & Sat 5PM–10PM Call for Reservations Wednesdays: Ray La Rovere-Piano Emil Rizzo-Mandolin Saturdays: Mike Constantino-Piano Friday, January 14 Betty Liste Trio Friday, January 21 Sounds of Sinatra Friday, January 28 Joe Zisa & Friends - 8pm Private Party Room For Up To 60 People • Call for Reservations - 973-942-1750 118 Berkshire Ave., Paterson, NJ (Totowa Section) • www.cortinarestaurant.com Charge