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Home (Re) Viewing: The Devil Wears Pirates
Video stores are stocking up for the holidays, and happily, most of the choices highlighted here are good.
The Devil Wears Prada: Meryl Streep deserved every square inch of praise she got for her performance as a fashionista from hell, but there’s another reason this movie turned out to be a surprise hit: the terminally underestimated Anne Hathaway. Much like Tom Cruise in “Rain Man,” Hathaway gives a strong, understated performance that is the true center of the film. Streep is great, but without Hathaway, the movie would not work. GRADE: B+
World Trade Center: Now that “United 93” is getting some much deserved awards attention, I hope people who shied away from the other 9-11 film in theaters will give it a chance on video. Thanks to across-the-board excellent performances and strong direction by Oliver Stone, who gets out of his own way for once, this is also one of the best films of the year. GRADE: A+
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby: I don’t much care for Will Ferrell in his lovable shouting moron mode, nor am I much of a NASCAR fan, so I found this movie about as appealing as an oil leak. GRADE: D
Also out today:
Barnyard: When Disney made its movie about animated cows (“Home on the Range”), the result was one of their weaker movies. CG cows didn’t seem any more appealing to me.
Available now
Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest: Fun movie, but you know what? I miss the days when the highest-grossing films of all time were genuinely great films and not just dazzling eye candy with a few laughs mixed in. GRADE: B
Miami Vice: Michael Mann’s film of the TV series he supervised was a financial disappointment in theaters, apparently because people were expecting to see a long version of the old show and didn’t get it. I have a feeling if this were called something else besides “Miami Vice” it might have done better. Still, despite a sometimes lackluster pace, the choice moments in the movie deliver in spades, particularly during the climactic gun battle in which a cop delivers one of the great send-off speeches. GRADE: B+
Pulse: I suppose the title “Flatliners” would have been better for this forgotten movie, but it was already taken.
From the Catalog
The Chronicles of Narnia: Continuing its quest to be a junior “Lord of the Rings,” this movie comes out in a deluxe 4-disc edition.
Holiday: The peerless combination of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn and director George Cukor teamed up for this adaptation of a play by Philip Barry, who also wrote the more famous “The Philadelphia Story,” made by the same creative quartet. This isn’t quite as good as “Story” but it’s close, making this a lesser-known gem that deserves to be better known. GRADE: A
James Bond volumes 3 and 4: The remaining Bond films come out in these box sets that are thrilling if you don’t have a previous edition, and infuriating if you do.
The Premiere Frank Capra Collection: It’s too bad that when someone mentions the name Capra, the first word that comes to many minds is “corn.” Yes, the director had a penchant for laying it on thick, but he also had a penchant for making excellent films. This set includes “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “You Can’t Take it With You,” “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” “American Madness” and “It Happened One Night” which practically invented the romantic comedy.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: On Video/DVD
Comments
By Sarah
December 12, 2006 5:00 PM | Link to this
I think the devil wears prada is a very cute movie. It is alot more that just about the fashion industry, its watching a girl grow into a women. I watched it when it first cam out and I thought it was a great movie and cannot wait toget it tommow when it comes out.