DVD Recent Picks

June 2010

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The lovely bones.
"Director Peter Jackson takes a personal, risky leap in his direction of the film version of Alice Sebold's bestselling novel The Lovely Bones. Yet the leap pays off, in emotional depth and riveting visuals that transport the viewer to other worlds--even ones the viewer may not want to visit. The Lovely Bones is lofted by its star-making performance by the young Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), who plays Susie Salmon, the 14-year-old girl who is murdered early in the film, and who narrates the action from her "in-between place" after dying but before going to heaven. Ronan makes Susie as earthy and awkward as any young teen, yet her presence, and her gorgeous pale eyes, remind viewers that she's otherworldly too. The Lovely Bones takes some big departures from the book, as many critics have pointed out, but it works well on its own merits. The drama involves how (even whether) Susie's family will recover after her ghastly murder, and what happens to her killer and the futile-seeming search for justice and closure. The entire cast is stellar, including Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as Susie's nearly destroyed parents; the composed young New Zealand actress Rose McIver, who plays Susie's younger sister, whom Susie watches grow up to be the young woman that Susie will never get to be; and Susan Sarandon, the boozy, wisecracking grandmother who may or may not be able to help keep the family from splintering into a million pieces. The other true standout is Stanley Tucci, almost unrecognizable as the quiet, creepy neighbor who kills Susie, obsessing over every detail and perhaps having left a whole trail of gruesome murders in his shambling wake. Jackson's deft direction keeps the mourning humans moving along believably, numbly, and gives breathtaking life to the afterlife, in scenes of fantasy and dread that recall his Heavenly Creatures". (Amazon.com)

Avatar.
"After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create." (Amazon.com)

Chuck season 2..
"This season, Chuck is in luck. Intersect II is ready for espionage service. And that means the old Intersect (Chuck) can go back to his old life. But if Chuck goes, he's gone: Casey has orders to off him. In the series called "TV's funniest comedy" by EW.com, Chuck survives to unravel mysteries of the past, become a hero in the present, and - in a stunner of a season finale - chop-and-drop himself into an even more perilous future! " (Real Groovy)

Did you hear about the Morgans.
"Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker play an estranged husband and wife, both die-hard New Yorkers; while trying to patch things up, they witness a murder and have to go into witness protection in backwater Wyoming. Encounters with bears, bingo, and rodeo clowns ensue. The fish-out-of-water formula is not particularly inspired, but Grant and Parker are well matched; they're both pros who establish an immediate rapport and comfort with each other, making them persuasive as a married couple who haven't fallen out of love. On top of that, the supporting cast is top-notch: Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) as Parker's snippy assistant, Sam Elliott (Thank You for Smoking) as the Wyoming marshal assigned to protect the neurotic couple, and Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard) as the marshal's tough-as-nails wife are only the most recognizable of the solid ensemble playing the quirky characters surrounding the feuding romantic leads". (Amazon.com)

Looking for Eric.
"A man trying to put his life back on track gets some advice from an unexpected benefactor in this comedy-drama from acclaimed British director Ken Loach. Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) is a postman living in Manchester whose life has been slowly going off the rails ever since his wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop) walked out on him. Eric has just been released from the hospital after an auto accident, and comes home to a house that's a mess and two teenage sons, Ryan (Gerard Kearns) and Jess (Stefan Gumbs), who regard their dad as an annoyance rather than an authority figure. Eric's oldest child, a grown daughter named Sam (Lucy-Jo Hudson), loves him but can't get her mother or brothers to show him any respect. And his friends from work don't know what to do for him, except allow him to talk about football and his favourite team, Manchester United. One night, Eric is home alone, smoking some weed, and to his amazement he's visited by an apparition of Eric Cantona, the French footballer who was a star for Manchester United in the 1990s until he retired and dropped out of sight. Cantona's ghost has come to give Eric a pep talk and offer him some advice on how to win Lily back, and as Eric tries to convince his wife to give him another chance, Cantona periodically appears to coach him in the ways of romance." (Amazon.co.uk)

Reggie Perrin. Series 1.
"Reggie Perrin (Martin Clunes) retells the story of a sales executive on the edge: an average man who finds it increasingly difficult to put up with the monotony of life. A disappointing marriage, the office grind and the daily commute: rebellion begins to build in his mind, in the form of increasingly surreal flights of fancy. And, slowly, Reggie begins to say what he really thinks. This new adaptation of the classic sitcom has been written by Simon Nye (Men Behaving Badly) and the writer and creator of the original Seventies show, David Nobbs. Martin Clunes leads a fantastic cast, including Fay Ripley (Cold Feet), Wendy Craig (Butterflies, The Royal), Geoffrey Whitehead (The Worst Week of my Life), Neil Stuke (Game On) and Lucy Liemann (Moving Wallpaper)." (Amazon.co.uk)

Bad lieutenant : port of call New Orleans.
"Director Werner Herzog's career is a catalog of extremes, and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans fits in nicely. Shot in post-Katrina New Orleans (presumably so that Herzog could take advantage of an atmosphere of decay and wreckage that no production design could match), Bad Lieutenant stars Nicolas Cage as Terence McDonagh, a cop who injures his back and becomes addicted to drugs. But even before he became addicted he wasn't a nice guy, and afterward he's still capable of being honorable... or at least a smart cop. As his drug use and gambling spiral out of control, he doggedly pursues a drug dealer suspected of murdering a family. Anyone looking for a conventional thriller or police procedural will be baffled by Herzog's unpredictable direction--the camera will suddenly linger on an alligator by the side of the road, for example--as well as Cage's weird yet compelling performance, reminiscent of some of his early, off-putting acting in movies like Peggy Sue Got Married and Vampire's Kiss. He seems disconnected from the rest of the movie (arguably like his drug-ridden character is disconnected from reality), yet perfectly in sync with Herzog's off-kilter visions of iguanas and break-dancing souls. The tension that results between the realistic setting and Cage's meta-performance will make some viewers recoil, but others will have a unique and possibly wrenching experience. Featuring an astonishing supporting cast, including Val Kilmer, Eva Mendes, Brad Dourif, Fairuza Balk, Jennifer Coolidge, and a wealth of other recognizable faces." (Amazon.com)

The Fixer
"There’s not too much originality to the concept behind ITV’s drama series The Fixer. But it’s the execution of it that lifts the show onto the recommend pile. John Mercer (played by Andrew Buchan) finds himself let out of prison early, albeit with a bit of a catch. It soon becomes clear that the price Mercer must pay for his early release is to become a hired gun for the authorities, whether he wants to be or not. Also starring Peter Mullan and Tamzin Outhwaite, The Fixer soon sets its sights on delivering solid action, and lots of it. What’s more, it succeeds: this is as entertaining a contemporary action drama as ITV has come up with in some time, and the pedigree of the programme makers (whose experience brings in the likes of Hustle and Spooks) is evident from the very early stages. Right from the moment the opening episode explodes onto the screen, The Fixer is a relentless journey, packing in plenty of thrills and excitement. Well written, and with interesting characters too, it manages to lift itself above the well-trodden central idea, and offer up many hours of strong entertainment. Let’s hope that more adventures of The Fixer are in the offing". (Amazon.co.uk)

Sherlock Holmes
"If you’ve got too many pre-conceptions of just how a Sherlock Holmes movie should pan out, then it’s probably best that you check them in before popping this latest version in your player. Starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role and accompanied by Jude Law as Watson, this film dispenses with some of the conventions of Holmes, and instead starts turning him into something of a period action hero. Downey Jr. is more than up to the challenge too. Early scenes in Sherlock Holmes are more Fight Club than sleuth-influenced, with the hand of director Guy Ritchie behind the camera being very clear. But the film soon settles down and starts to have some fun, with the able assistance of Mark Strong and Rachel McAdams, among the supporting cast. Yet this is Downey Jr.’s show, and he doesn’t waste the opportunity. He’s an engaging leading man at the worst of times, and he’s clearly having a ball here. What’s more, it’s immensely satisfying when his Sherlock Holmes gets down to the business of solving crimes, even though there are some really quite impressive action sequences to work through first. There are problems, of course. There’s not enough flesh on the bones of some of the characters, and the early part of the film feels very different from the latter stages. But there’s solid groundwork here for the inevitable franchise, and watching Downey Jr. reprise the role of Sherlock Holmes over the next few years should be really quite good fun too". (Amazon.co.uk)

Mesrine : public enemy #1.
"The story of France's infamous public enemy no. 1, Mesrine is a rollercoaster of bank heists, jail breaks and suave Gallic chicanery. Vincent Cassel stars as the notorious Jacques Mesrine, the rock 'n' roll bank robber who became a wanted man, famed for his daring escapades. From the director of Assault on Precinct 13... Jacques Mesrine, last of the great French gangsters, was declared Public Enemy Number One during his lifetime. He regularly finished atop the list of newsmakers in opinion polls. His spectacular death, shot full of holes by police at close range in the middle of Paris, put the crowning touch on his legend. Nearly thirty years after his demise in 1979, the myth of Jacques Mesrine is very much alive. Now, for the first time, this ambitious project brings his life to the big screen. At once a thriller and a biopic, the project is shot through with action and emotion, yet remains as faithful as possible to factual reality. Far from making a model or superhero out of Mesrine, the film portrays the character in all its complexity, including the darkest aspects. What will emerge is the story of the man behind the icon." (Amazon.com)

Arranged.
"Two women whose peoples are often at odds find they're more alike than anyone expects in this drama from directors Stefan C. Schaefer and Diane Crespo. Rochel (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Nasira (Francis Benhamou) are two young women who have begun teaching at a public grade school in Brooklyn, NY. Rochel is an Orthodox Jew and Nasira is a Muslim of Pakistani descent, and the students and the administrators at the school are concerned there might be friction between the two teachers. However, over the course of their first year of teaching, Rochel and Nasira discover they have far more in common than they imagined -- both sometimes find themselves culturally out of place in 21st century New York, and both are trying to live within the traditions of their faith while struggling with their own feelings. In particular, Rochel and Nasira bond over the fact both are expected to enter into arranged marriages, Nasira with a wary optimism and Rochel with a great deal of trepidation". (Amazon.co.uk)

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