Slim pickings this week on DVD, but there are a couple goodies in the bunch. *Note: If available, I usually link to the Blu-ray version of the film, as that’s my format of choice.
This Week’s Must Have: The Golden Compass – Ah… They say this is the movie that singlehandedly brought down New Line. I don’t believe it. Sure, it didn’t make Narnia numbers like they’d hoped, but I still don’t see it sinking the entire ship. Nevertheless, I actually enjoyed The Golden Compass a lot more than I had expected. The ending is weak and the whole thing is way too complicated for the kiddies to grasp, but it’s an absolutely gorgeous looking film with some really great visual effects. While the film may not live up to Pullman’s original novels, I still would have liked to see how the rest of series played out on the big screen. Unfortunately, at this point, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Well worth checking out on Blu-ray and DVD.
* 27 Dresses – This flick may be mostly fluff, but it’s Katherine Heigl fluff, and I’ll take that kind of fluff any day of the week. Flanked by Malin Akerman and Edward Burns, Heigl holds her own here and soaks up most of the charm to be found in the film. It’s a silly, little romantic comedy, but it’s not horrible. Save this one for a night alone with your favorite lady.
* The Red Balloon: Criterion Collection – If you judge this one by the title alone, you might simply pass it by. Take a closer look, however, at the cover art and maybe a few stills from the film and you might just realize that you’ve seen this little treasure before. It’s a mesmerizing and beautiful little film that’s about as simple as they come. I remember, vividly, watching this film when I was just a little guy in elementary school and being completely sucked in by that wandering red balloon.
* The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is easily the most critically-acclaimed title on this week’s release list. It garnered several Oscar nominations and earns every single one. The performances are fantastic, the direction is nearly perfect, and the film is a genius work of cinema that will probably go quietly without many people seeing it. I think it’s the subtitles thing… Some people just can’t handle it. If you can, please rush out and grab a copy.
* The Beast in Space: Unrated – Leave it to Severin films to bring this little baddy back into circulation. A wild ride in just about every way, The Beast in Space is one that you really do need to see to believe. It’s some crazy filmmaking.
* The Waltons: The Complete Seventh Season - Who can resist some old school TV, Waltons-style? Not me. I ripped through this set in a matter of about 2 days. If this is your kind of television, there’s no reason why you won’t love this collection of season seven episodes. It picks up right where WB left off with their last collection and is worth a spot in every discerning TV collector’s shelf.
- A Few From Last Tuesday -
* The Orphanage – People have been calling Juan Antonio Bayona’s El Orfanato (The Orphanage) this year’s Pan’s Labyrinth, but I think that’s an unfair comparison. They’re, clearly, very different films. Pan’s Labyrinth is a modern day fairy tale. A fantastic film (and probably my favorite of its year). The Orphanage, however, is one of the best supernatural thrillers that I’ve seen in a long time. It’s certainly not a perfect film – the plot is a bit thin and the pacing is slow going at first, but sticking with this one is well worth it for the sheer atmosphere of the production. There are a few jump-worthy moments, but the real scares here come in just what’s happened to these characters. The Orphanage is one that I’ll remember for a long time coming, and probably a disc that I’ll revisit often.
* My Boy Jack – What’s this? Harry Potter in a war film? Say that again, please. Ok, now that you’re past all that, this is a damn fine film. A thought-provoking production from ITV, My Boy Jack casts Daniel Radcliffe as Rudyard Kipling’s 17-year-old son alongside Kim Cattrall, David Haig, and Carey Mulligan. It’s an excellent little picture with some great performances. Check it out. Even you Potter-freaks. Natch.
* One Missed Call really should have been One Missed Movie. Yeah, yeah… I know. I’m no comedian, but nearly everything about this horror flick is laughable. There are a few neat jump scares, but the plot is completely incomprehensible, the ending is atrocious, and Shannyn Sossamon must really be hurting for a paycheck because she’s definitely slumming it here. Not only that, but we’re also apparently “missing” some extra features. This disc is completely barebones. I’m talking… not even a main menu on the Blu-ray disc… just a pop-up menu. Weak sauce. Only for the hardcore horror folks who can sit through this junk.
Check back next Tuesday for a look at some more great DVD releases.
