JAM Reviews Cyrus from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Cyrus: Blu-Ray: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Review by JAM

A man truly down on his luck, upset by the fact that his ex-wife is remarrying has found the woman of his dreams that accepts him for all his quirks, faults, and strengths. But she has a secret, her son Cyrus.

John (John C. Reilly) and Molly (Marisa Tomei) really seem to hit it off in a way that neither of them expected but Molly keeps a side of herself hidden from John. A single mother to an adult son that is a bit different, Molly worries that it might scare John away. Cyrus (Jonah Hill) adds to the messed up mix-ups himself by playing the two lovebirds against themselves in order to get his mom back to himself. The manipulations grow larger by the minute as John and Cyrus play a game around Molly where the winner may never be the same and Molly may end up even worse.

Cyrus from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment also stars Catherine Keener as Jamie, John’s ex-wife who plays a part in his life still whether she always wants to or not.

JAMS Ink on Cyrus

I am not usually a “relationship” movie guy, and that is truly what the heart of this movie is. John (John C. Reilly) is a down on his luck guy that needs a break, something many of us need these days. And he finds a woman that is willing to give him that chance in Marisa Tomei’s Molly. She catches him urinating in the bushes during a party, listens to his depressive rant about how down he is, and then still dances and parties with him in his drunken stupor. They make an odd couple who strangely relate well to each other when paired together, but as any third wheel relationship movie (i.e. You, Me, and Depree) when the extra man is added everything goes to heck. The interplay between the three is actually interesting enough to keep watching the movie, but to be honest the best portions are in the interplay between Molly and John throughout the movie. Marisa and John prove their mettle in making the relationship truly realistic to the viewer.

Cyrus (Jonah Hill) is a momma’s boy to the utmost with interesting quirks and qualities that would definitely be overwhelming for anyone getting to know, let alone get to know his mom. His music making was an enjoyable part of the movie as well as an interesting look at a man-boy whose life was about to change and the lengths he would go to stop it. You almost feel sorry for his character except that you can see the actions coming from miles away and have no real desire to give him any sympathy.

The film overall was an interesting look at the realities of relationships, especially in the day and age of single parenting due to desire or circumstances. It also showed the speedbumps that we can face in any relationship and an introspective look at whether things are worth the hassle or not. I give it a recommendation if you are a fan of the major actors or the relationship issues within a trio of people.

EXTRAS

Deleted Scenes – These can either be played with or without the director introductions as to why the pieces were left out. One is a puppet show montage showing the John/Molly/Cyrus relationship through interpretive theater by John and finger puppets, while the other is a look at the destructive nature of the Cyrus move out as he travels a path of self-loathing and panic.

Q&A with the directors Jay and Mark Duplass – Just as it says, a chance to see the directors discuss anything that comes up.

Music Mash Up – This is a chance to see Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly goof aroundon a synthesizer as they talk about the movie.

Behind the Scenes at SXSW – The directors and stars of the film attend the Austin Texas film festival where the movie premiered.

Fox Movie Channel Presents In Character – John C Reilly and Jonah Hill discussing their characters and the movie.

Cyrus from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment meanders onto shelves on December 14, 2010. Grab a copy if you like John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, or Marisa Tomei, or if you just want to feel so much better about your own relationship or life.

CYRUS Blu-Ray:
Street Date: December 14, 2010
Screen Format: Widescreen
Audio: English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio
French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English and Spanish
U.S. Rating: R
Total Run Time: 157 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.

JAM Reviews Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief - 20th Century Fox

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief – Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Combo: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Review by JAM

Swords and mythology, gods and goddesses, action, adventure, and lightning bolts, all of these and more come to you in a little blue package marked Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Take the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), the daughter of Athena (Melina Kanakaredes), and a satyr protector in-training and you have a really awesome movie for teens, adults, and everyone in between.

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) seems to be a lost soul, finding himself at a seeming crossroads as high school seems to be testing him beyond what he would expect. Besides the typical homework and testing he faces, dyslexia and mythological creatures masquerading as teachers come out of nowhere. Oh yeah, Zeus (Sean Bean) the king of the gods thinks he is a thief and he finds out his best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) on crutches is actually a mythological creature known as a satyr.

As he gets help from others along the way including his mother Sally (Catherine Keener), Athena’s daughter Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), and Chiron (Pierce Brosnan) the centaur who had masqueraded previously as one of Percy’s wheelchair bound instructors, Percy searches for the true thief of Zeus’ thunderbolt and learns more along the way about his heritage. The movie also stars some big name actors in small yet important roles, including Uma Thurman as Medusa, Rosario Dawson as Persephone, Steve Coogan as Hades, and Jake Abel as Luke, the true thief of the thunderbolt.

JAMS Ink on Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

Awesome!!!

That’s my word to describe this movie, even if you compare it to the book and nitpick details. The graphics are amazing, the story is tons of fun, and the characters are accessible and likeable. Mythology and modern day are sewn together in a masterful way, blending the past and present together to make a story that works for all. The character of Percy is a young man searching for himself, who has never really known his father, and feels like the world is against him. In a way, it is as the gods search for him in order to eradicate the son of one of the big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) who had banned themselves from relations with the humans of our world. Percy’s search is much the same as almost any high school age kid who is trying to find out who they really are, and what they are destined to do.

The special effects are well done, reminding me of Lord of the Rings type effects with the monsters and the Olympians. When this had first hit the theaters, I went and found the first book so I knew the story behind it, and in my personal opinion they did a good job keeping the emphasis of the story complete even as they had to cut areas out. The Medusa scenes were a personal favorite, along with the climactic fight with Luke.

Having the director of the original Harry Potter, Chris Columbus, lends strength to a mythological epic like Percy Jackson while also keeping in grounded in the characters. I for one am hoping that this can lead to a sequel. That would definitely give me a reason to buy the next books to read (I am probably going to anyway, but I would love to see them as movies).

EXTRAS

I love deleted scenes, but I have to admit that there wasn’t much that was lost by taking out the scenes from this movie. It did show Grover acting like a teenage boy, in search of a second chance after failing Zeus’ daughter. Secrets of the Gods shares information on the Gods that people may not know, though for someone like me who had studied mythology for years did not need it. The Book Comes to Life is really good, allowing us to hear from the author and the director about the transition from book to film and background. It was interesting to hear Chris Columbus talk about his daughter’s dyslexia and the chance to bring a hero on screen that has the same issues but works to overcome it.

Blu-ray Special Features:
● 10 Extended and Deleted Scenes
○ The Museum – Grover Photographs Aphrodite
○ The Infirmary – Percy Meets Annabeth
○ Aphrodite’s Daughters – Grover Jumps Into Spa
○ Int. Bus – Percy Looks At The Map
○ Auntie Em’s – Medusa Chases Percy
○ Int. Pickup Truck – Grover Talks About Zeus’ daughter
○ Lotus Land Casino – Grover Dances
○ Lotus Land Casino – Percy Meets 50’s Guy
○ Lotus Land Casino – Percy, Annabeth and Grover Fight The Guards
○ Hades’ Mansion – Hades Talks To Percy
● Secrets of the Gods
● Discover Your Powers Quiz
● The Book Comes To Life
● Inside Camp Half-Blood
● On Set With Brandon T. Jackson
● Meet The Demigods
Single-Disc DVD Special Features
● 5 Extended and Deleted Scenes
○ The Museum – Grover Photographs Aphrodite
○ Int. Pickup Truck – Grover Talks About Zeus’ daughter
○ Lotus Land Casino – Grover Dances
○ Lotus Land Casino – Percy, Annabeth and Grover Fight The Guards
○ Hades’ Mansion – Hades Talks To Percy
● Discover Your Powers Quiz
● The Book Comes To Life

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is about to explode onto shelves on June 29, 2010 and it come HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by JAM. Grab your copy before the gods come for you!

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF
Street Date: June 29, 2010
Screen Format: Widescreen
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (BD) / English 5.1 Dolby Digital (DVD)
Subtitles English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spanish, French (BD/DVD)
U.S. Rating: PG
Total Run Time: 118 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.