Tag Archives: Forrest Hartman

Video Verdict: ‘Cheri,’ ‘Monsoon Wedding’

CheriThis week’s DVD releases include an intimate drama starring Michelle Pfeiffer, a charming re-release of a 2001 melodrama by director Mira Nair and a big-budget blockbuster about sentient robots.

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Def Leppard is still working hard

NOTE: The remainder of Def Leppard’s current tour dates (including the Reno, NV concert) were canceled after this story was initially published.

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott says he and his bandmates are convinced that they’re yet to write their best song, and it’s that belief that keeps them going.

“It doesn’t matter whether you or our audience think, ‘He must be kidding himself,’ ” Elliott said during a recent phone interview. “Just because we’ve had massive hit singles, doesn’t mean that we can’t write a better song. Maybe nobody will ever hear it, but we will try and do it. It’s just a self-belief that there’s more to life than there’s already been.”

Elliott and the rest of Def Leppard will play Reno Events Center on Thursday along with opening acts Cheap Trick and Man Raze. The band regularly fed the music charts in the 1980s with a stream of pop-metal hits including “Photograph,” “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Rock of Ages,” but it hasn’t released a hit single in more than a decade. Still, Elliott said, the group draws large crowds on tour.

Click here for the entire story:  http://www.rgj.com/article/20091016/ENT02/910160321/1056/ENT/Def-Leppard-on-hunt-for-hit–but-not-worried-if-it-doesn-t-find-one

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Video Verdict: ‘The Proposal,’ ‘Drag Me to Hell,’ ‘Land of the Lost’

Ryan Reynolds, left, and Sandra Bullock star in the new romantic comedy "The Proposal."

Ryan Reynolds, left, and Sandra Bullock star in the new romantic comedy "The Proposal."

This week’s DVD releases are anchored by comedies, including one that features Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as a most unlikely couple.
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Video Verdict: ‘My Life in Ruins,’ ‘Year One,’ more new releases

Nia Vardalos stars in "My Life in Ruins."

Nia Vardalos stars in "My Life in Ruins."

This week’s major DVD releases are both comedies, but they’re as different in tone as films of the same genre can be.

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Reno producer brings Darwin’s life to the screen in new television movie

"Darwin's Darkest Hour" star Frances O'Connor with Reno-based producer Norman Stephens.

"Darwin's Darkest Hour" star Frances O'Connor with Reno-based producer Norman Stephens.

When National Geographic Television executives decided to take a break from documentary filmmaking and create the company’s first fully-scripted docu-drama, they turned to Reno-based producer Norman Stephens.

The movie was to examine the life of British scientist Charles Darwin, and Stephens, who has more than two decades of television experience, saw it as an ideal project.

“Everyone’s sort of mourning the death of the TV movie, and I think that we’re finding new avenues to use the TV-movie format,” Stephens said. “I think that it’s going to be embraced. I don’t think the TV movie is dead.”

It’s certainly not dead this week. The finished film, “Darwin’s Darkest Hour,” is debuting Tuesday as the kickoff to the new season of “Nova” on PBS, and Stephens said he’s pleased to be closing in on the air date.

Click here for full story: http://www.rgj.com/article/20091004/ENT/910040311/1056/Reno-producer-brings-Darwin-s-life-to-the-small-screen

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Video Verdict: ‘Monsters Vs. Aliens,’ ‘Superman/Batman,’ ‘Girlfriend Experience’

From left, The Missing Link, Ginormica, B.O.B. and Dr. Cockroach in a scene from the animated movie "Monsters Vs. Aliens."

From left, The Missing Link, Ginormica, B.O.B. and Dr. Cockroach in a scene from "Monsters Vs. Aliens."

This week’s DVD releases include two animated films and an unusual relationship drama by director Steven Soderbergh.

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Video Verdict: ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,’ ‘Battle for Terra,’ ‘Observe and Report’

Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner star in the romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."

Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner star in the romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."

This week’s new DVDs cover several genres, and they are anchored by a romantic comedy featuring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.

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Video Verdict: ‘Wolverine,’ ‘Easy Virtue,’ ‘Next Day Air’

Hugh Jackman plays the title character in the latest Marvel Comics superhero adventure "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Hugh Jackman plays the title character in the latest Marvel Comics superhero adventure "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

This week’s DVD releases are anchored by a film adaptation of a Noel Coward comedy and a big-budget superhero flick starring Hugh Jackman.

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Video Verdict: “Crank 2: High Voltage”

Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) and his girlfriend, Eve (Amy Smart), get down and dirty in the action film "Crank 2: High Voltage."

Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) and his girlfriend, Eve (Amy Smart), get down and dirty in the action film "Crank 2: High Voltage."

It’s a slow week for DVDs, with only one major theatrical release — a Jason Statham thriller — making its way to video stores.

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Video Verdict: ‘State of Play,’ ‘Disneynature: Earth,’ ‘Sugar’

A humpback whale breaches the surface of the ocean in a scene from Disneynature's "Earth."

A humpback whale breaches the surface of the ocean in a scene from Disneynature's "Earth."

This week’s DVD releases include a sharp thriller starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, a beautifully photographed nature film and a foreign drama that casts a new light on America’s pastime.

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