Movie & TV DVD Releases this week. September 21 2010
Ondine
From MAGNOLIA FILMS
Average customer review:
Colin Farrell shows his soulful side in Ondine, a lovely Irish drama from director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Breakfast on Pluto). Syracuse (Farrell), a down-on-his-luck fisherman called Circus by friends and foes alike due to his formerly boozy ways, pulls up his net one morning to find a beautiful, near-drowned woman in it. She calls herself Ondine (Polish actress Alicja Bachleda) and Syracuse's daughter Annie (charming newcomer Alison Barry) thinks she's a selkie (a seal that's taken human form and can grant wishes). Ondine is happy to feed Annie's fantasies, and Syracuse is pretty convinced himself--but things take a dark turn as Annie's illness and Ondine's past intrude on this sweet fantasy. Ondine has a different feel than typical Hollywood fare; events that in most movies would be hyped and emphasized (such as a plot-turning car crash) here pass with jolting swiftness. Instead, Ondine lingers on the interplay between a sad father and a yearning daughter, between a lonely man and a lost woman. The movie builds a rich and deeply felt web of relationships--when the story takes hold, you'll be all the more gripped as a result. Featuring a delightful comic turn by Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta) as a skeptical priest.
Robin Hood
Directed by Ridley Scott
Average customer review:
Cast aside all notions of men in tights: Ridley Scott's Robin Hood is decidedly earthier and more grown-up than most romps through Sherwood Forest. The presence of the over-40 Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett cinches the deal, lending a dose of worldliness to a project that means to be about the origins of the famous character, who in this incarnation was evidently a late bloomer. Robin Longstride (that's his name before he started wearing a hood) is just returned from a 10-year jaunt in the Crusades when he loses his king (Danny Huston as Richard the Lionheart) and his job. Back in England, Robin folds himself neatly into a Nottingham family, where a grieving widow named Marion (Blanchett) and her father-in-law (Max von Sydow) hardly care that he doesn't much resemble their own departed warrior. But the merry men and their famous sideline will have to wait: except for one bit of robbing from the rich (i.e., the greedy government of King John) and giving to the poor, this movie is more concerned with creating a portrait of the royal intrigue that went into creating Robin Hood than in detailing the high jinks of the Nottingham outlaws. And that's not a bad thing, because although Robin Hood lacks the mechanical action beats that distinguish most films of its scale, it creates an engrossing story line around its political chess playing (outlined by screenwriter Brian Helgeland and apparently a few others). Crowe is in reliable crusty-tender form and Blanchett summons up more than her sketchy character probably deserves, but the film has a large cast of chewy, fun performers: Mark Strong (Kick-Ass) does baddie duty as the treacherous pal of King John (preening Oscar Isaacs), William Hurt is stalwart and wise as a royal power broker, Eileen Atkins is a carefully considered royal mum, and Matthew Macfadyen is a Sheriff of Nottingham who's no longer central to the villainy--though no less hissable for his ineptitude (and a prime candidate at film's end for No. 1 bad guy in the sequel). In short, not a Gladiator re-do for Scott and Crowe, but a civilized tale of tyrants and rebels, staged in a pleasingly old-fashioned way.
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
Directed by Bradley Raymond
Average customer review:
What would you do if you met a fairy? Witness the historic moment when Tinker Bell first meets a human being, and it’s not who you think.
Years before meeting Wendy and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell met Lizzy, a little girl with a steadfast belief in the power of pixie dust and the magic land of fairies. During the fairies’ summer visit to the flowering meadows of England, two very different worlds unite for the first time and Tink develops a special bond with a curious child in need of a friend. As her fellow fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell takes a huge risk, putting her own safety and the future of all fairykind in jeopardy.
Experience Disney’s astonishing all-new movie about the true power of faith and friendship. Bursting with excitement and imagination, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is magical entertainment for the whole family. You might even learn to fly.
The Experiment
Directed by Paul Scheuring
Average customer review:
Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker star as ordinary men who find themselves transformed by strange circumstances in The Experiment. Tempted by a large paycheck, 26 men agree to be divided into prisoners and guards and placed in a mock prison for two weeks--but within a matter of days, these seemingly sane men have turned the mock prison into a sadistic pressure cooker. The Experiment is in part a remake of a German film, Das Experiment, which was inspired by a psychology experiment conducted at Stanford University in 1971--an experiment sometimes cited as demonstrating an innate human capacity for sadism. But despite a strong cast--in addition to solid work from Brody and Whitaker, Clifton Collins Jr. (Capote) gives a typically strong performance--and some delving into several characters' back-stories, The Experiment never quite grabs hold. Still, there are compelling sequences and a creepily effective use of infrared cinematography. Also featuring Maggie Grace (Lost), Ethan Cohn (Gilmore Girls), Cam Gigandet (Twilight), and Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit). Directed by Paul Scheuring, the creator of Prison Break.
El Secreto de Sus Ojos
Directed by Juan José Campanella
Average customer review:
The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), an Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, is part cold-case mystery, part long-lost love story, and part thriller set both in the present and in 1970s Argentina, under the tight control of its infamous military dictatorship. Director Juan José Campanella manages to tread easily across these genres with a story that's gripping, a little outlandish, and compelling--if full of a growing sense of dread. The Secret in Their Eyes stars Ricardo Darín as Benjamin, a policeman who gets pulled into investigating a decades-old crime, and becomes drawn in, almost against his will, as layers of information about the missing (murdered?) girl slowly come to light. As Benjamin investigates, he runs into a woman for whom he has long carried a torch, Irene (Soledad Villamil), an ambitious judge who had also at one point been involved in adjudicating the old crime. The chemistry between Benjamin and Irene is part of the "secret in their eyes," as the pull between the old colleagues becomes palpable. But also palpable is the hold that this unsolved crime has over Benjamin--a creepy borderline obsession that is reminiscent of the American film noir classic Laura. Fancy cinematography and well-crafted flashbacks to the era of the crime--set against the backdrop of the military dictatorship--add extra depth to what is a truly original story, told in layers with great intelligence. Fans of great mysteries and dramas--and of lost love that may again be found--will not want to miss The Secret in Their Eyes.
Directors: Life Behind the Camera
Directed by Various
Average customer review:
Made in cooperation with the American Film Institute, DIRECTORS: LIFE BEHIND THE CAMERA features thirty-three legendary directors who reveal intimate and in-depth knowledge about the art of filmmaking and, as well, their own career in the movies.
Culled from over 300 hours of interviews, this two-disc, four hour presentation is totally interactive, allowing instant access to a single director, or access to an entire topic involving all directors. Also included are film clips, interviews with guest actors and industry veterans, and biographies and interesting facts about each director.
Featuring (in alphabetical order):
Robert Altman, Robert Benton, Tim Burton, James Cameron, Chris Columbus, Wes Craven, Cameron Crowe, Frank Darabont, Jonathan Demme, Richard Donner, Clint Eastwood, Nora Ephron, William Friedkin, Terry Gilliam, Ron Howard, Lawrence Kasdan, Spike Lee, Barry Levinson, George Lucas, David Lynch, Adrian Lyne, Garry Marshall, Penny Marshall, Sydney Pollack, Rob Reiner, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Bryan Singer, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Robert Zemeckis, David Zucker
TOPICS DISCUSSED INCLUDE :
- Everyone has to Start Somewhere
- The Art of Writing and Choosing Scripts
- The Care and Feeding of Actors
- Your Cinematographer is Your Best Friend
- One of their Most Compelling Films
- Will the Industry Survive?
- Long After they are Gone
Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Beals, Jerry Bruckheimer, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Ossie Davis, Robert Englund, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Elliott Gould, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Michael Keaton, Leslie Nielsen, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Roy Scheider, Wil Wheaton
Community: The Complete First Season
From Colombia Tri Star
Average customer review:
Community hits an ingenious balance: it's both a top-notch sitcom about a gaggle of misfits at a community college and a satire on the very nature of sitcoms. Jeff (Joel McHale of The Soup), a fast-talking suspended lawyer seeking an authentic undergraduate degree, forms a Spanish study group for the sole purpose of wooing Britta (Gillian Jacobs, Choke), a former political activist trying to move into mainstream life--but to his dismay a handful of other students show up as well. As happens in sitcoms, they turn into an alternate family, including Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), a Christian housewife; Abed (Danny Pudi), a business/film student with Asperger's syndrome; Troy (Donald Glover), a former high school football star; Annie (Alison Brie, Mad Men), an overachieving ex-drug addict; and a former moist-towelette magnate (Chevy Chase, Saturday Night Live, Foul Play). Community's plots occasionally revolve around classes--most often abusive assignments from their volatile Spanish teacher, Señor Chang (Ken Jeong, The Hangover)--but more often the show veers into daffy social territory, such as female bathroom etiquette, excessive political correctness, sexually transmitted disease prevention, the true meaning of Christmas, bullies, and teacher-student affairs. The characters are delightful, the dialogue swift and clever, and the stories skillfully orchestrated.
But the secret pleasure of Community is its sneaky commentary on sitcom mechanics, from the whole concept of an alternate family to the manipulative nature of will-they-won't-they sexual tension to any number of subtle but affectionate digs. The show's pop-culture awareness extends even further in two of the best episodes, one that turns a craving for chicken fingers into a GoodFellas-esque Mafia tale and another about a paintball competition that escalates into a quasi-apocalyptic action thriller. Also, Community: The Complete First Season is packed with delicious extras--in addition to cheerful and entertaining commentaries (which demonstrate how much the cast enjoys working together) and the usual outtakes of the cast breaking character, there are excellent mini-episodes, mock cast interviews, and some very creative use of sound effects. Fans of Arrested Development will enjoy the rich, layered humor and fans of How I Met Your Mother will take similar pleasure in the clever stories, but Community should appeal to anyone seeking smart, high-energy comedy.
Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral On a Moving Train -- Special Commemorative Edition
Directed by Deb Ellis;Denis Mueller
Average customer review:
In celebration of the life of Howard Zinn (1922 - 2010), First Run Features is releasing a commemorative edition of the 2004 film "Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train", complete with over an hour of extra bonus features and interviews.
New Bonus Materials Include: Bonus Speeches and Interviews (Zinn on power and war, philosophy, civil rights and labor activism. Excerpts with Studs Terkel, college talks and off-the-cuff interviews); Zinn's Recommended Reading List ; Speech Transcripts; Film Excerpts; Daniel Ellsberg's A Memory of Howard Zinn
In these turbulent times, Howard Zinn is inspiring a new generation. This acclaimed film looks at the amazing life of the renowned historian, activist and author. Following his early days as a shipyard labor organizer and bombardier in World War II, Zinn became an academic rebel and leader of civil disobedience in a time of institutionalized racism and war. His influential writings shine light on and bring voice to factory workers, immigrant laborers, African Americans, Native Americans and the working poor.
Featuring rare archival materials and interviews with Zinn and colleagues such as Noam Chomsky, You Can't Be Neutral captures the essence of this extraordinary man who has been a catalyst for progressive change for more than 60 years.
Narrated by Matt Damon and featuring music by Pearl Jam, Woody Guthrie & Billy Bragg!
Relate Links:
Cheap New DVD Movies
DVD Releases
DVD releases UK
DVD releases CA
