SGVN

July DVD column

July 21, 2008

By Kyra Kirkwood

1. Film (with rating): Vantage Point (PG-13)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Summary: The attempted assassination of the United States president at an anti-terrorism summit in Spain is told from several different perspectives.

Review: This movie almost delivered. It seemed so promising. Unfortunately, the gimmick that was its selling point—multiple points of view of the same event—became its downfall. If director Pete Travis would have just taken the subject matter and played it straight through, it would have been more fluid, more interesting, than this stop/start approach. Instead, I was left frustrated. I'd be into the storyline and feel anticipation build as a character—ah ha!—landed on a key chunk of clue, and then, the film would literally rewind and I'd be forced to start over again with a new character's point of view. The flow felt so jerky, so upended, I never really settled in. Travis threw in a lot of present-day political sentiment, but failed to fully expand on the key points of the movie's main conflict. Add to that some very unlikely plot points along with too much coincidence, and "Vantage Point" just couldn't recover. Sure, there was the rather exciting car-chase scene, but we've seen it before. On that note, what is it with films set in Europe that seem to require a chase sequence? What is that, the "Bourne Identity" Syndrome or something? "French Connection"-itis? The acting caliber in "Vantage" was notable, with decent performances by William Hurt as President Ashton, Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker and "Lost's" Matthew Fox. But even they couldn't overcome the messed-up presentation of "Vantage Point."

Extra highlight: "Coordinating Chaos" stunt featurette

What to serve for dinner: Try a traditional Spanish dish, with a twist: vegetarian paella (www.spain-recipes.com).

1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) of olive oil

5 cloves minced garlic

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 cups (32 fl. oz) vegetable broth

2 cups (16 oz) rice

4 medium tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 cup (4 oz) green peas

2 cups (14 oz) artichoke hearts, tough outer leaves removed and quartered

1 lemon

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a paella pan and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is tender and translucent. At the same time, heat the broth in a separate saucepan until simmering. Pour the rice into the paella pan and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and tomatoes and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the simmering vegetable broth and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until almost tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the peas. Sprinkle the artichoke hearts with a few drops of lemon juice and arrange over the rice in an attractive pattern. Continue cooking until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Serve the paella straight from the pan, garnished with lemon wedges

What to talk about over dinner: Did you believe the coincidences in the plot? Did you believe any of the twists and turns? Do you think they would be possible in today's government? Have you ever been to Spain? What European country would you most like to visit? What's up for the next season of "Lost?" What's your favorite cinematic car chase?

1. Film (with rating): The Ruins (unrated)

Studio: DreamWorks Home Entertainment

Summary: When a group of fun-loving friends vacationing in Mexico visit the site of an undisturbed Mayan ruin, they stumble upon something evil.

Review: "The Ruins:" Better than I expected it to be, actually. It reminded me a lot of "The Descent," and that's not a bad thing. Writer Scott Smith wove in buckets of gore, but he also used liberal applications of suspense and tension. That's what sets this film apart from the pack. The characters, played by actors such as Jena Malone and Jonathan Tucker, displayed a lot more substance than one usually sees in a typical horror movie. They're smart, not screaming heads, and that ratchets the caliber of the film up many notches. Some scenes, such as the one involving self-mutilation and a hunting knife, are just downright disturbing and unforgettable. The whole bit about locals quarantining the tourists felt like a nightmare. These bits of psychological horror mixed with gore make "The Ruins" work, despite its flaws. I had a tough time seeing the plants as that scary. Cheesy was more like it. They looked like giant marijuana plants with cactus flowers as decoration. Yet plants growing inside a human body? Now that is terrifying. Director Carter Smith left a few plot points uncovered, and he failed to expand on others (such as the psychological meltdown—was it caused by killer plants, or ancient evil?). But overall, the film did what it set out to do: freak viewers out.

Extra highlight: "Creeping Death" featurette

What to serve for dinner: Go with a Mexican dish: chicken enchiladas (recipegoldmine.com).

1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon ground cumin

12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) chicken stock or broth

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups shredded Mexican-blend or Monterey jack cheese

1/2 (4 ounce) can green chilies

1 deli rotisserie chicken

12 small (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 (20 ounce) can mild red enchilada sauce

Optional items: Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large, 12-inch skillet, add olive oil, onions and black pepper over medium heat and cook for three minutes until onions soften. Add garlic and continue heating for two more minutes until onions "sweat," but are not brown.

Remove two breast portions from the deli chicken and shred, either by hand or with forks. (Use remaining chicken as desired.) After onions have sweated, sprinkle them with cumin and flour and stir. Lower temperature and cook for one minute. Add chicken stock, stirring constantly. Cook and stir the sauce until thickened and bubbly; cook one minute longer. Taste and adjust for salt. Stir in chopped cilantro, shredded chicken, 1/2 of cheese and green chilies; remove from heat.

Wrap the stack of tortillas in moistened paper towels and place in microwave for 30-45 seconds or until warm and pliable. Into a large baking dish pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce, to cover bottom of dish.

Prepare enchiladas by spooning some of the chicken mixture across center of one warmed tortilla, leaving enough room to roll up (somewhat like a cigar.) Place, seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat until mixture is gone. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover and bake about 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve hot with lettuce, tomato, guacamole and sour cream. Serves four to six people.

Sidenote: This dish is spicy and flavorful but not hot. If you prefer a spicier dish, substitute fresh or canned jalapenos for green chilies, and use a medium or hot enchilada sauce. The chicken stock, cheese and prepared enchilada sauce all have ample sodium, so additional salt should be added only after tasting the completed mixture.

What to talk about over dinner: Do you feel differently about plants now? What is scarier, killer plants or killer locals? What would you have done in the characters' situation: stay, fight, outsmart or run? Does this movie prove to you to always tell someone where you are going when you're headed off the beaten path? What do you think about the psychological meltdown of the characters? How would you have expanded on the film? Compare this to "The Descent." Which one is more terrifying?

1. Film (with rating): Shutter (PG-13)

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Summary: Newlyweds (Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor) discover ghostly images in photographs they develop after a car accident on their honeymoon in Japan where they plan on living. As they search for answers, the truth becomes even scarier than what they imagined.

Review: While this remake didn't fulfill my hopes, "Shutter" didn't totally ruin my day, either. Maybe it was due to the rerun-filled Tuesday night. Or perhaps I liked the "Lost in Translation" street scenes. Or maybe I was too tired to care. Regardless, I made it through all of "Shutter," and even have some (really, I'm serious. Only a couple, but still more than one) good things to say. No. 1: The setting was beautiful, and yet creepy at the same time. Nicely done. To start, let's introduce Ben Shaw. He is a successful photographer (who still shoots in film, which is just one of the many "yeah right" moments in this movie) starting a new job in Tokyo. After he and wife Jane hit a woman while driving down a dark, deserted road, they began seeing things in photos and real life that may or may not be there. Strange visions, creepy darkroom visits, unexplainable tragedies haunt the couple. Director Masayuki Ochiai keeps viewers flying in different directions, and it's not for the best. So many things could have been done better, scarier, with more suspense. But like a sneeze that almost happens and then disappears, this movie often leaves one with a feeling of annoyed disappointment. Jackson, seemingly on the verge of fading into has-beendom, has little chemistry with his costar Taylor, who overacts her way through every scene. While it carries flavors of "The Ring" and "The Grudge," "Shutter" winds up being pretty unimaginative and boring. Oh yeah, that second thing I liked about "Shutter?" The ending. Heck, I'm as shocked at that as you are, especially since too much leading up to that point was a letdown. But the very end wasn't so bad. Go figure.

Extra highlight: the alternate ending

What to serve for dinner: What else but Japanese food? Serve up some traditional yatori don and Japanese style green beans (allrecipes.com).

Yatori Don

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons white sugar

2/3 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sake

1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Rinse chicken and pat dry. In a glass baking dish or bowl, stir together the ginger, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, sake and mirin. Place the chicken into the mixture to marinate. Refrigerate, covered for several hours, or overnight. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken pieces into the pan skin-side down, reserving marinade. Cook until light brown, then flip and brown the other side. Drain off grease, and pour the marinade into the pan. Cover, and reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking, shaking the skillet occasionally, until marinade is evaporated. Serve hot with rice or noodles and green tea.

Japanese Style Green Beans

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 pound fresh green beans, washed

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Warm a large skillet or wok over medium heat. When hot, pour in canola and sesame oils, then place whole green beans into the skillet. Stir the beans to coat with oil. Cook until the beans are bright green and slightly browned in spots, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce; cover, and let sit about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

What to talk about over dinner: Have you ever taken a ghost-like photo? What do you think it means? Do you believe in ghosts? What about ghosts with revenge on the mind? How would you have smoothed over the plot holes? How would you have rewritten the script to make it flow? Who would have been better cast in these roles? Would you like to visit Japan? What country holds the most appeal for you?