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Home (RE)Viewing: A great DVD week
The three new DVD releases from today that I saw in theaters range from very good to staggering to wonderful - which makes this a banner week in my book.
Atonement: So it lost momentum in the Oscar race in which it should have been a much bigger player. That doesn’t keep this from being a profoundly moving war romance that not only examines the impact of a lie, but questions the very nature of truth. The cast, including Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, Vanessa Redgrave and James McAvoy is uniformly excellent, and the direction by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice) dynamic. Full review. GRADE: A+
Enchanted: I’ve extolled the virtues of this delightful film and its delightful leading lady many times. All that remains now is for you to watch it and see what I mean - or watch it again, as the case may be. Full review: GRADE: A+
PS Click here to see my Enchanted-inspired post asking you all what your favorite hand-drawn Disney movies are.
I Am Legend: Will Smith, the last survivor in New York City, tries to cope with virus-ravaged zombies. Previously made as The Omega Man, this story gets a lot of mileage out of a great performance by Smith, who might have been seriously considered for an Oscar if not for all those zombies. Full review: GRADE: B+
Side note: Film writer Anne Thompson points to a recent Fandango poll that asks people what their favorite post-apocalyptic flick was. The results:
I Am Legend 40%
28 Weeks Later 19%
12 Monkeys 15%
The Road Warrior 13%
Escape from New York 9%
Other 4%
Ummm … I liked I Am Legend pretty well - better than a lot of other critics, I’d say. But I Am Legend is the least of that lot. I mean, come on, better than The Road Warrior? Are people’s memories THAT short, or is their taste that lame? Geeeeeeez!
Also out today
Love in the Time of Cholera: It’s an acclaimed novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Now it’s also a not-so-acclaimed film by director Mike Newell, who got better notices with his last adaptation. Something about a Potter kid and a goblet …
The Seeker: The Dark is Rising: Apparently, a devoted group of people like the novel on which this film was based, but it still tanked at the box office. I’m guessing the group is devoted but small.
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