NEW YORK – Joe Somebody, Van Wilder, We Were Soldiers and Iris in the DVD glow of The Foxlight.
Can a nobody be a somebody on video? Tim Allen's had some bad luck at the box office lately and Joe Somebody is certainly proof. He told the Foxlight that the original script was much darker. He was sorry to see it changed. So were critics and audiences. Sorry Tim, the somebody you need is a better agent.
Next, this was supposed to be called "Van Wilder: Party Liaison." But somebody got the bright idea that slapping "National Lampoon" on the title would make it funnier. This was one of the Tara Reid trifecta of bad movies released in the last 12 months. Can you name the other two? Didn't think so. It's best to repress some memories.
Mel Gibson's Vietnam flick We Were Soldiers is the mostly true story of one of the first big battles of the war -- 450 U.S. soldiers versus 2,000 of the enemy. With Mel doing the shooting, guess who "wins" if you can call anything in Vietnam a victory. Sam Elliot steals the movie as the gruff-as-nails sidekick.
Finally, Jim Broadbent deserved the Oscar that surprised everyone this year for his supporting role in Iris. Dame Judi Dench is suffering from Alzheimer's. Broadbent is her understanding husband. Flashbacks with the pair as a younger couple make the whole thing even more tragic. And Charlton Heston's recent admission makes it even more timely. A great rental.