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DVDs: Leo/Kate, Defiance, Not That Into You
Today’s DVD offerings make for a varied mix of movies from earlier this year, all worthwhile to one degree or another.
Defiance: Director Ed Zwick’s drama about a group of Jews who become surprisingly effective resistance fighters gets off on the wrong foot, focusing too much on the melodramatic relationship between two rival brothers (Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber). However, once the movie shifts its focus on how the Jews survive living in a forest, it becomes much more effective and compelling. Full review. GRADE: B+
He’s Just Not That Into You: This romantic comedy has an awful lot of players (pun intended) and that’s both its blessing and its curse. On the one hand, the movie benefits from a terrific cast, including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johnasson, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Ginnifer Goodwin and Bradley Cooper. On the other hand, since there are multiple characters and plotlines, some are much more interesting than others. The movie veers all over the map and isn’t as clever as it thinks it is, but there are just enough appealing actors/stories to make it worth seeing. GRADE: B-
Revolutionary Road: Once touted as the film to beat at the Oscars, the movie’s luster faded when people saw it and decided its story of a strained marriage in the 50s cut too close to home. It is hard to watch at times, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone in a rocky relationship. However, its excellently performed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Michael Shannon, well written by Justin Haythe and smartly directed by Sam Mendes. I believe history will show that it was the reception to this movie that was too cold, not the movie itself. And I believe history has already shown that Winslet got the Oscar for the wrong movie. Full review. GRADE: A
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