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Home (Re)Viewing: Check into ‘1408’
This week’s video releases bring us one of summer’s better movies, one of summer’s lamer ones, and some intriguing catalog titles.
1408: A solid little hit this summer, this Stephen King adaptation heightens suspense through smart, clever direction and an excellent, Oscar-quality performance by John Cusack, who holds the film together very well indeed. Occasionally, the movie tries to be a bit too “literal” and obvious with its scares, but Cusack always brings it back home - or in this case, back away from home. GRADE: B+
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: A bit lighter on its feet than its dull predecessor, but that’s not saying much. What worked before works now, and what didn’t work before still doesn’t work now. That means that The Thing and the Human Torch are fun to watch; Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman and Dr. Doom are not. Is it any wonder this movie opened strongly than dropped like a rock with an anvil attached? Full review (and bubble-wrap debate). GRADE: C+
From the Catalog
Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Francis Ford Coppola’s take on the vampire doesn’t make much sense storywise, and it was a little too proud of the fact that it was visually out there, but this new DVD is worth picking up. It highlights the very well executed effects, made using old-fashioned technology, and Coppola offers a commentary. He is always fascinating to listen to, even on his less than great movies like Godfather Part III or Finian’s Rainbow. As an added bonus, we can look back, point and laugh at the hilariously wooden performance by Keanu Reeves, who really hadn’t figured out yet how to make the “dude” thing work to his advantage outside of Bill and Ted. GRADE: B-
Funny Face (50th Anniversary Edition): I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: THIS is Audrey Hepburn’s best musical, NOT the elephantine My Fair Lady. Audrey, bless her heart, could not convincingly play a gutter rat, but she’s aces here as a bohemian wannabe, and the Gershwin songs are much more tuneful than the ones in Lady. Plus, let’s face facts, Fred Astaire is a lot more appealing than Rex Harrison. GRADE: A
The Jungle Book: Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities. Forget about your worries and your strife. I mean the …. oh, sorry. Lost my train of thought. Anyway, the last film that Walt Disney worked on comes out in a new deluxe package, with the usual assortment of fascinating extras. This may not be quite up there with Disney’s very best movies, but with such fun characters and an irresistible song score, it seems pointless to nitpick. I’d rather get with the beat. GRADE: A-
Also out today
Caligula (Three-disc edition): THREE discs? For THIS? I’ve never seen the movie, but given its reputation, I can’t decide if that package is fascinating or frightening.
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