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New DVDs/What Are You Watching?
Today’s new DVDs don’t offer much variety or quality, so it’s a good thing I was able to watch quite a few movies over the fourth of July weekend and recommend those to you instead.
DVD
Knowing: This film held real promise, with an intriguing premise of Nicolas Cage being able to foresee disasters through a numerical code. Director Alex Proyas (Dark City) directs the action scenes very well, but he can’t keep the movie from falling apart when the story turns metaphysical, absurd and extremely dopey in the last act. Full review: GRADE: C-
Push: This sci-fi action thriller, sort of a young X-Men, didn’t get much attention when it came out earlier this year, but I thought it was far better than the similarly themed and airless Jumper. Director Paul McGuigan stages some very snazzy action scenes. Full review. GRADE: B
The Unborn: Why bother? Really, why?
What Are You Watching?
The Big Parade: A silent war film may seem like an oxymoron, but this World War 1, which put MGM on the map, still retains a lot of power, thanks to powerful direction from King Vidor. Small debit: a tacked-on ending. GRADE: A-
The Crowd: MGM allowed Vidor to make this smaller, more personal film about a frustrated New York City family who struggle to realize their dreams after The Big Parade became a hit. This film is even better, filled with striking shots that Vidor sometimes caught on the fly, using hidden cameras. GRADE: A
David Copperfield: Delightful Dickens adaptation directed by George Cukor, with a marvelous cast, with WC Fields seemingly being born to play Mr. Micawber. The film loses momemtum in the second half, but not much. GRADE: A-
The Little Princess: I much prefer the 1995 film directed by Alfonso Cuaron, but this 1939 version has its charms, most of them coming from one Shirley Temple. GRADE: B
The Gay Divorcee: Prime entertainment with the inimitable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, whom I could watch all day long. The only problem I had with the movie is it cuts away from the stars too often. GRADE: A-
The Seven Year Itch: This movie is as dated as the telegraph and is second-tier Billy Wilder, but second tier Wilder is still better than first-tier most anyone else. And Marilyn Monroe was a knockout, in more ways than one. GRADE: B
Whatever Works: Woody Allen’s latest film loses its way whenever it focuses on anybody besides the two leads of Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood, who form an improbable but endearing romance. Still, David and Wood are front and center often enough to put the movie across, and David makes a great Allen surrogate. GRADE: B
So what are YOU watching?
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