New on DVD: Hunger, Revanche, Coco Before Chanel
I’m still experimenting with how best to keep up with DVD releases. This week I’m rolling them out on Tuesday (a full week in advance) with a repeat of the previous week’s column as a reminder of the titles officially available as of today and a link to DVDs on the immediate horizon.
(Coming Soon: Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant!, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall in The Damned United, Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo, Pedro Almodovar’s Broken Embraces, Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes and more.)
New DVDs coming Tuesday, February 16:
(recommended movies underlined where appropriate. All ratings out of 5 stars)
Hunger (****). English artist Steve McQueen’s first feature, Hunger, is an uncompromising, grim and intense piece of work that probes the 66 day hunger strike led by Bobby Sands to restore the political status of members of the IRA being held at The Maze prison in Northern Ireland in 1981. Largely eschewing the highly charged politics behind the story, McQueen dances obliquely around his subject, first following a prison officer and then a freshly admitted prisoner before finally zeroing in on the story of Sands himself half way into the film. With long passages devoid of dialogue and musical cues used only sparingly, the result is a Bressonian sketch, both unsettlingly detailed and hypnotizingly abstract, showing the consequences of the conflict on both sides. Rising star Michael Fassbender gives a fully committed performance as Sands. The best scene is a long, single-shot conversation between Fassbender and Liam Cunningham as a priest. It doesn’t sound like fireworks, but it really is.
(Opened: 3/26/09) Trailer / Review
Buy: Criterion DVD
Rent
Revanche (****). This 2009 Foreign Language Oscar nominee from Austria follows the inexorably intersecting lives of a small time criminal, a Ukrainian prostitute, a rural policeman and his lonely wife. The first hour of Revanche is a lusty, simmering crime drama that sets up the revenge of the title while the second hour is an altogether more contemplative affair as the revenge itself is played out. In between is a shifting of gears abrupt enough that the two halves feel like different films. Less concerned with the ins and outs of plot, this is a kind of character study at heart that uses the collision of these disparate characters to look at the differences between generations, classes and environments and to probe the nature of guilt, loss and finally of course revenge.
(Opened: 5/1/09) Trailer / Review
Buy: Criterion DVD
Rent
Coco Before Chanel (*** 1/2). I’m still a little on the fence about this bio centering on the early life of fashion icon Coco Chanel, but it’s a beautiful looking film with a delicate and lovely score by Alexandre Desplat and a winning performance from Audrey Tautou who captures Chanel’s spirit without relying on a lot of tics and mannerisms. It’s maybe a bit too subtle and restrained for its own good, but it gets bonus points for breaking a lot of the bad habits of the standard bio.
(Opened: 9/25/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
Law Abiding Citizen. Gerard Butler goes to jail for killing the man responsible for the murder of his wife and daughter. From prison he orchestrates a series of assassinations against those he holds responsible for the failed justice system and Jamie Foxx must stop him. I’m guessing the title is supposed to be ironic.
(Opened: 10/16/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
Black Dynamite. A spoof of 1970s blaxploitation flicks starring Michael Jai White as a man seeking to avenge the murder of his brother. He’s got a big afro! He knows Kung Fu! Filmed in glorious Cinemaphonic Quadrovision!
(Opened: 10/16/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
Good Hair. Comedian Chris Rock’s documentary about African-American hair culture came about when his daughter came up to him crying and asked why she didn’t have “good hair.” It debuted to positive reviews at Sundance in 2009 and it made news upon its theatrical release in October because another filmmaker sued Rock for stealing the idea. How you can copyright a documentary subject is a mystery to me, but then these are mysterious times.
(Opened: 10/9/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
From Mexico with Love. Jimmy Nickerson, the fight coordinator for Raging Bull makes his sophomore outing in the director’s chair with this story of a self-destructive amateur boxer. It went from theaters to DVD in about the time it took you to finish reading this sentence. Alex Nesic, Bruce McGill and Stephen Lang (Avatar, Public Enemies) star.
(Opened: 10/9/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
Splinterheads. Here’s the official blurb: ” For Justin Frost (newcomer Thomas Middleditch in a breakthrough role), a typical day is rolling out of bed at one, practicing improvised karate, and mowing grass for his best friend’s landscaping… For Justin Frost (newcomer Thomas Middleditch in a breakthrough role), a typical day is rolling out of bed at one, practicing improvised karate, and mowing grass for his best friend’s landscaping business. But when a traveling carnival lands in his small town, Justin falls for a sexy con artist and wakes up to the life he has yet to begin living. Written and directed by Brant Sersen, winner of the 2004 SXSW Audience Award for his previous feature comedy Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story, Splinterheads also stars Rachael Taylor (Transformers), Christopher McDonald (Happy Gilmore), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), Dean Winters (HBO’s OZ), Frankie Faison (HBO’s The Wire) and introducing Jason Rogel as Wayne Chung.”
(Opened: 11/6/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
Women in Trouble. Best known as the screenwriter of Snakes on a Plane, writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez delivers this ensemble comedy following 10 “women in trouble” around LA for 24 hours. One of them is Carla Gugino, a porn star who discovers she’s pregnant. Emmanuelle Chriqui, Adrianne Palicki, Marley Shelton and Connie Britton also star with support from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Simon Baker and Josh Brolin. Hmmm. I like the garish, exploitation style title, but this got pretty well clobbered by critics during its brief run in theaters in November 2009.
(Opened: 11/13/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
DVD releases for Tuesday, February 9:
(back)
A Serious Man (**** 1/2). Joel and Ethan Coen return to their roots (a Jewish family living in a Minnesota suburb in the 1960s) for this jet black comedy about a professor and family man plunged into a theological crisis when his ordinary world inexplicably begins to crumble around him. The dialogue is as sharp, deliberate and as clearly rendered as any Coen film, though it’s more naturalistic and less exaggerated. As put-upon professor Larry Gopnik, Michael Stuhlbarg takes the Coen verbal stylization and makes it feel real. With line readings that are unforced, natural and full of pathos, he might be one of the most unambiguously sympathetic Coen characters to come along outside of Carla Jean Moss. And then there’s that unsettling ending… well you’ll just have to see it for yourself.
(Opened: 10/2/09) Trailer / Review
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
Couples Retreat. In order to qualify for a group rate, a couple on the rocks convinces a group of their happily married friends to join them for marriage counseling at a tropical resort. Unfortunately, it turns out participation in the counseling is mandatory. Suddenly, blissful marriages aren’t on such solid ground after all. Funny, right? Probably not, but you have to like the talent involved: Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau co-wrote and star alongside Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk and Jean Reno. Look. No offense to my married friends, but couplehood is only funny to other couples. A single person’s solution to your wacky couple problems? Stop being a couple. Seriously. Don’t like it that he leaves the toilet seat up? Dump him. Problem solved.
(Opened: 10/9/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
The Stepfather. A remake of the 1980s cult classic about a murderous stepfather. I have fond memories of the original starring Terry O’Quinn (Lost) and pretty Jill Schoelen, but I can’t think of a single reason to see this PG-13 rated turd. Can you? Penn Badgley, Sela Ward, Amber Heard and Dylan Walsh star.
(Opened: 10/16/09)
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
The Time Traveler’s Wife. The Time Traveler’s Wife. Audrey Niffenegger’s 2.5 million copy selling debut novel about a man who experiences random, unpredictable jumps in time and the woman who loves him made it to the big screen in 2009 starring Eric Bana as the former and Rachel McAdams as the latter. I like the cast but this sort of material is constantly in danger of devolving into eye-gouging schmaltz. I’m skeptical, but I’ll watch it with you if you buy me dinner. The screenplay is by Bruce Joel Rubin who also co-wrote the fantasy romance Ghost. Great. Now I’ve got that freaking Unchained Melody song stuck in my head again. That is not righteous.
(Opened: 8/14/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
The Song of Sparrows (****). A rural Iranian’s pastoral life is turned upside down when he’s forced into the city to earn money to repair his daughter’s hearing aid. There, his once simple needs are twisted by greed and commercialism. Shifting quietly from the amusing to the dramatic, this gently neorealistic parable from Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven) has a simple message, but the real beauty lies in the little moments and details between the big story beats. Sparrow‘s tropes will be instantly recognizable to anyone who makes a habit of watching foreign films and the familiarity is almost off-putting at first, but the film sticks with you days after you see it. It is so unassuming that its subtle pleasures might not be apparent right away, but they’re there and they have a nice way of lingering.
(Opened: 4/3/09) Trailer / Review
Buy: DVD
Rent
Bronson (** 1/2). I should admit right up front that I’m not a huge fan of this film, but I also have to say the internet buzz around it since it hit these shores at Sundance has been loud and positive. I found the surfeit of (Kubrick-cribbed) style over substance to be ultimately off-putting, but the performance by Tom Hardy is magnetic and the story makes up in entertainment what it lacks in depth. As Charlie Peterson, a real-life 19-year-old ne’er-do-well who parlayed a conviction for simple armed robbery into 34 years behind bars and a reputation for being the most violent prisoner in Britain, Hardy delivers a fully committed performance full of manic energy and gusto. It’s only too bad the story and the character itself don’t live up to it. Nevertheless, I have to admit it’s something to see and Bronson is recommended particularly to fans of films like A Clockwork Orange. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Pusher).
(Opened: 10/9/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
Serious Moonlight. Cheryl Hines (Waitress, HBOs Curb Your Enthusiasm) directs the last screenplay of murdered actress/writer/director Adrienne Shelly (Suddenly Manhattan, Waitress). Meg Ryan plays a lawyer whose husband Timothy Hutton announces he’s leaving her for younger woman Kristin Bell on what is supposed to be a romantic weekend for the couple. When Bell and gardener Justin “iStooge” Long show up, it’s a foursome of funny. I guess.
(Opened: 12/4/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
Dare. High school drama with Emmy Rossum as a high school senior…experiencing drama. Alan Cumming and Sandra Bernhardt play older teacher/advisor types. Yawn. Here’s the official blurb I’m too lazy to summarize: “When a pompous actor tells good girl Alexa (Rossum) that she hasn’t lived, she embarks on a bold journey that takes her to mysterious bad boy Johnny . Envious, her shy best friend Ben also dares to pursue Johnny, complicating Alexa’s romance and pushing the boundaries among the three friends.”
(Opened: 11/13/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
Endgame. This political thriller about the secret talks that led to the end of Apartheid in South Africa already played on PBS so I don’t know why it turned up in theaters last fall. On the other hand Chiwetel Ejiofor and William Hurt star so maybe it’s worth a look if you neglected to Tivo it.
(Opened: 11/6/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
I Hate Valentine’s Day. I hate Valentine’s Day too, but not as much as I hate insipid romantic comedies. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) wrote, directed and stars in this one. She plays a florist with a strict “five dates” rule when it comes to romance, but when she meets her Greek Wedding costar John Corbett, she actually falls in love! Bleh.
(Opened: 7/1/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD Blu-ray
Rent
Peter and Vandy. A love story told out of order so that the heady beginning contrasts with the unpleasant ending. Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler star.
(Opened: 10/9/09) Trailer
Buy: DVD
Rent
The Pleasure of Being Robbed (**). I’m not sure if this one ever got a proper theatrical release or if it just played the festival circuit. I saw it at LAFF in 2008 and pretty much hated it. Directed by Josh Safdie, The Pleasure of Being Robbed is kind of a character portrait about a kleptomaniac named Eléonore (played by Eléonore Hendricks) who doesn’t steal for the material gain so much as to form a strange connection to her victims. I don’t mind plot-free movies if the characters are people I’m interested in spending time with, but that’s not the case here.I couldn’t get away from Eléonore fast enough.
Trailer / Review
Buy: DVD
Rent
Filed under: DVD
Tags: A Serious Man, Black Dynamite, Bronson, Coco Before Chanel, Couples Retreat, Dare, Endgame, From Mexico with Love, Good Hair, Hunger, I Hate Valentine's Day, Law Abiding Citizen, Peter and Vandy, Revanche, Seroius Moonlight, Splinterheads, The Pleasure of Being Robbed, The Song of Sparrows, The Stepfather, The TIme Traveler's Wife, Women in Trouble
When you saw it at the festival, did The Pleasure of Being Robbed sound like a good premise? Because it sounds interesting to me.
Should get A Serious Man delivered tomorrow. I’ll be watching it within a few days at the latest. I’m also in the home stretch of the first season of The Wire.
Also want to see Hunger, Coco Before Chanel, Revanche and Good Hair.
Of all the films I saw last year Revanche has been one of the most resonant. I will patiently await it’s arrival on Region B or Region Free blu ray.
Encouraging to hear, sartre. I look forward to seeing it.
I was thinking earlier about The Time Traveler’s Wife and how they mucked up the adaptation. The material desperately needed a no-nonsense hand to balance the melodrama and dial down the overt romanticism. My main complaint when I saw it was that they added a less sophisticated, more Hollywood ending, replacing the single best scene in the book in favor of something much less powerful and, oddly, much less romantic. But when I think about how someone with a sharper vision could have crafted it–someone like Jane Campion, or a harder-edged indie director maybe–it’s clear what a squandered opportunity this was.
That said, it still had me in tears multiple times. Good performances even if it was all entirely too lush and pretty.
JB: I’m finishing up the 4th season of The WIre today. What a masterpiece of a series this thing is. I’m so in awe of it.
Next up, I’ll be watching “Six Feet Under,” which I never got a chance to see when it was on the air (much like “The Wire”).
Aw, Dorothy, we’re HBO series twinkies in reverse! Can’t wait to get Season 2 of The Wire. The writing on Six Feet Under is inconsistent, but there’s real genius in some seasons/episodes, and fantastic performances throughout. Stick with it through the end–the finale still gives me chills.
Jennybee, I had no preconceived ideas about Pleasure of Being Robbed. Hadn’t seen Safdie’s other films and I’m a sucker for festival catalogue speak. EVERY film sounds amazing before I see it.
Alas… they never are.
Sartre, I kind of underestimated Revanche when I first saw it, but it’s continued to grow on me. I look forward to checking it out again.
Interesting thoughts on Time Traveler JB. The elements you talk about in the book were what sort of gave me hope it wouldn’t suck, but then the response to it was about more in line with what I generally expect from hollywood with this sort of thing.
Speaking of Hollywood mucking about, I’m sure the novel Dear John was nothing great, but the movie chickened out and happied up the ending! Probably why it was so popular last weekend.
Ahhh, The WIre. I was late in coming to that (and SFU) since I don’t have cable, but I enjoyed them both. SFU had some dry seasons, but the payoff in the end was worth it for me.
I enjoyed The Stepfather- this was just as a great as the first. Dylan Walsh did a great job filling the shoes of Terry O’Quinn
Dorothy, season 4 of The Wire is my favorite. The S4 finale tears my heart out every time I see it too.
JB, I’ll be curious to hear what you think about The Wire. One of the masterful things about the writing and composition of that show was that they didn’t know if it would get renewed at the end of seasons 1 and 2, so they ended each season in a way that would potentially tie up loose ends but also leave them a creative out to bring the show back the following year. It’s absolutely brilliantly thought out.
Joel, I just finished season 1. Thought it was fantastic. The misterbee enjoyed it but thought it was a little overrated. I told him everyone says it just gets better from here.
Now trying to find a good price on the complete series box set.
Also I’m happy to report that my A Serious Man DVD finally arrived after braving several serious blizzards. It was watched last night and found to be seriously good. At least by me. The misterbee thought it was seriously terrible. But he’s seriously wrong.