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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Home (Re)Viewing: While we’re snowed/iced in …
So I come home from Disney World to find all this snow and ice here. Something tells me I shoulda stayed an extra day or two.
However, since I’m back in the blogging saddle, and this is DVD release day, and since so many of us are snowed/iced in, it’s a good time to see what’s new, or new-ish, on DVD shelves.
New Today
Becoming Jane: From the Shakespeare in Love school of literary reimagining comes this drama that tells us the young Jane Austen’s life was very much like Pride and Prejudice - too much like it for the movie’s own good. The similarity to the classic novel makes the film too pat. Still, it held my attention most of the way, thanks in no small part to a very fine performance by the terminally undervalued Anne Hathaway. GRADE: B
Gone Baby Gone: This powerful tale of a child abduction gone awry, by Mystic River author Dennis Lehane has much the same feel as the Clint Eastwood film of that novel, so it’s all the more remarkable that Ben Affleck, directing his first feature, still manages to put his own stamp on the movie, making it feel very authentic and lived-in. His visuals are occasionally a touch too flashy, and the ending is a bit ham-handed, but this is still a powerful film. Amy Ryan deserves all the kudos she’s been getting as the drug-addled mother. Full review. GRADE: B+
In the Shadow of the Moon: This documentary about the Apollo program focuses too much on the already very well known 11 and 13 missions, but hearing the astronauts tell their own stories is still an invaluable experience. Too bad our boy Neil Armstrong didn’t come out of hiding for it. GRADE: B+
Into the Wild: Sean Penn adapted and directed the film version of the Jon Krakauer book about Christopher McCandless, a man so disaffected by his life and society in general, he strikes out on a cross-country odyssey. The film is occasionally a touch too assured of its own importance, but there’s no denying its potency. Hal Holbrook received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. GRADE: A-
Also seen by me
Across the Universe: This Beatle-cover-infused musical became very much a “love it or hate it” film, and I very much fell into the “love it” side. No, it doesn’t always work, but even its failures (like the grating “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” number) are rather endearing. Full review. GRADE: A
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: A fascinating slice of history takes off in grand style, helped in no small part by Roger Deakins’ gorgeous Oscar-nominated photography - but then it drowns in pretension before finally recovering with a strong finish. With DVD, the movie gets the fast-forward it badly needs. GRADE: C+
The Brave One: This has been called a “female version of Death Wish,” and on the surface, that’s true, but with Jodie Foster in the lead and Neil Jordan directing, there’s more than meets the eye here. Some shallow writing and an unconvincing ending keep it from being a great film, but it’s more compelling than many folks gave it credit for. Full review GRADE: B+
Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Funny, I didn’t know the continuing story of Queen Elizabeth I was a really dopey soap opera with lavish costume design and art direction. Yes, Cate Blanchett is again magnetic in the title role, and is the best thing about the film, but no, she did not deserve the Oscar nomination that should have gone to Enchanted’s Amy Adams. GRADE: C
Also on shelves
Feast of Love: Robert Benton’s multi-character romantic entanglement failed to make much of a splash, but with a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Radha Mitchell, Greg Kinnear and Selma Blair, I’m inclined to give it a shot.
The Jane Austen Book Club: Seems like its Jane Austen mania at the movies these days, what with the recent Pride and Prejudice film, Becoming Jane and now this. General word of mouth indicates this was the least successful of the bunch.
Martian Child: So I take it from the middling box office of this John Cusack vehicle that the child really wasn’t from Mars?
No Reservations: This food-based romcom with Aaron Eckhart and Catherine Zeta-Jones always did come across as the kind of pleasant diversion that would find a bigger audience on the small screen.
Things We Lost in the Fire: This Halle Berry/Benicio Del Toro drama was on the short list of some Oscar prognosticators, and then the movie came out and people said, “Not interested.” Still, it has some passionate defenders.
Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married: You Tyler Perry fans know who you are.
We Own the Night: Director James Gray has been making these mid-level dramas like this and The Yards, but despite a strong cast that included Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix and Robert Duvall, I heard nothing to convince me this was a must-see. Your mileage may vary.
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