horror and science fiction DVD and movie reviews and previews from curledupdvd.com - curled up with a good dvd
Blu-ray reviews and previews from curledupdvd.com - curled up with a good dvd
DVD reviews, previews and info - blu-ray
 
         
 
  action movies on DVD
  animation on DVD
  art house and international / foreign language films on DVD
  comedies on DVD
  documentaries on DVD
  dramas on DVD
  children's and family DVDs
  horror and sci-fi on DVD
  suspense on DVD
  television series on DVD
  Blu-ray DVD reviews
   
 
Google

   
   

10 Things I Hate About You (10th Anniversary Edition) - Blu-ray / romantic comedy DVD / teen comedy review
10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) Rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America curledupdvd.com rating: 4 stars
Featuring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz
Director: Gil Junger Distributor: Touchstone Home Entertainment
DVD release: 05 January 2010 Runtime: 97 min. (1 disc)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Blu-ray
DVD features: 1080p HD, Aspect ratio 1.85:1, Audio tracks (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - French, Spanish), Subtitles (English SDH, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese), 10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You 10 Years Later, I Want You To Want Me: The 10 Things I Hate About You screen tests, Audio commentary (co-writers Karen Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and stars Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Larisa Oleynik and Susan May Pratt)


10 Things is a great teen comedy. The basic rules of the teen comedy are there, but they seem fresh and bouncy. The introduction to all the cliques of the highschool can be a tedious bit of exposition, and they usually use a newcomer to do this. The newcomer is Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and he's being shown around by Michael (David Krumholtz). While they walk past the different groups, they are introduced. There are some of the usuals, like jocks and brains, but there are also groups of white rastas, coffee aficionados, and cowboys, among others. These are introduced not as exposition, but to make fun of scenes like this.

That's when Cameron happens upon Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). He is stopped in his tracks; "I burn, I pine, I perish," he says. "Of course you do," comes Michael's reply. He explains that dating Bianca is not possible because of her overly strict father, who will only allow Bianca to date if her shrewish sister Kat (Julia Stiles) dates. All Cameron has to do is get Kat out on the dating scene and it's implied that Bianca is his.

Cameron and Michael put together a convoluted plan to get a date for Kat. It's a difficult task because Kat seems a bit put off by men, and they are summarily dismissed by her. Then they try to get well-known school psycho Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to take her out. His main incentive is money, but as time goes on, he grows to like Kat.

10 Things is an interesting retooling of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. I'm not terribly familiar with the work, but there are bits that are obviously inspired by The Bard, if not taken verbatim. The difference is in the interaction. When Michael says "Sweet love, renew thy force", Patrick says "Don't say shit like that to me." The inspiration is amazing; the execution is what makes 10 Things memorable.

10 Things introduced moviegoers to Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles, using well-known Joseph Gordon-Levitt and lesser-known David Krumholtz to good effect. Veteran performers Larry Miller and Allison Janney shine in their roles as Kat and Bianca's father and the school counselor.

The Blu-ray edition shows off a beautiful picture, great sound, and commentaries by writers and cast, as well as a retrospective on the film with writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith and director Gil Junger. If you've never seen this flick, give it a shot; if you've not seen it for a while, it's time to take another look.
 
  buy this DVD now or browse millions of other great products at amazon.com
 
 
   
 
   
reviewed by Eric Renshaw
   
         
    action | animation | art house/international | comedy | documentary | drama | family | horror/sci-fi | suspense | television    
    browse DVDs alphabetical by title    
    contact | home