Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2008 > April > 15 > Entry
Today’s DVDs: Juno and lotsa teeth
It’s a solid DVD week on both the new and the old release shelves, ranging everywhere from everybody’s favorite snarky pregnant teen to everybody’s favorite enigmatic desert leader. Then there’s a not-so-solid release consisting mostly of teeth and slime.
Juno: The success of the teen pregnancy comedy surprised even its most fervent admirers - and people who though it was overrated. I see the detractors’ point that the movie was trying too hard to be hip, but I would argue that attitude was necessary. It’s that too-cool barrier that needs to break down for the more emotional second half to work. Ellen Page deserved all the kudos she got, and Jennifer Garner deserved more kudos than she did get as the adoptive mom-to-be. GRADE: A-
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead: Sidney Lumet’s latest film got raves that say it’s the best thing he’s done in years, which is true, although I can’t quite elevate it to “best of the year” level. I couldn’t shake a slight but nagging “been there, done that” air of yet another “perfect crime gone wrong with jumbled chronology” film. Even so, it’s still very powerful thanks to taut direction by Lumet, and a stellar cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney. GRADE: A-
Lars and the Real Girl: This story of an unbalanced man who takes to having a romantic relationship with a sex doll might be hard for some to take, but for those who can, the movie is very rewarding, particularly for an incredibly controlled performance by Ryan Gosling. GRADE: A-
From the catalog
David Lean epics: In honor of the great director’s 100th birthday, new DVDs of some of his best works are out today. The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, are, I believe, repackagings, but his last film, A Passage to India, gets a new deluxe treatment. Buy them or at least rent them and play them on the biggest screen available.
Also out today Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem: Whatever.
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: Uwe Boll’s latest? Ditto.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: On Video/DVD
Comments