DVDs I Bought This Week – April 29th
Posted by Kevin Carr (kevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on April 29, 2008
A wise man once said “It’s not just about seeing Star Wars two weeks before everyone else. You’ve gotta plow through crap like Marie Antoinette and Catwoman as well.” I have the fortune of being able to see all of the films that I want, and find out that they are only worth one viewing (or less) before I would willingly pay for the DVD…and subsequently end up hating myself later. But for every The Whoopee Boys there has to be an Indiana Jones, and because of the great films I am able to put myself further in debt every week.
The Golden Compass
Director: Chris Weitz
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore (voice) and Ian McKellen (voice)
Rated: Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence.
Synopsis: A young girl travels to the Far North to save her kidnapped friends and fight an oppressive regime.
Why Buy It?: This film was much maligned by the Catholic church and dogmatic patriots, but overall it was still a fun family adventure. Sure, the wicked-cool polar bear fights got a bit graphic, but the movie has grown on me since its theatrical release. The effects won a well-deserved Oscar, and the film did surprisingly well overseas. If you plan on buying, go for the two-disc platinum series release, which New Line always does up real nice with plenty of groovy special features.
Formats: Standard DVD, New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series and Blu-ray
First Knight: Special Edition
Director: Jerry Zucker
Cast: Sean Connery, Richard Gere and Julia Ormond
Rated: Rated PG-13 for brutal medieval battles.
Synopsis: A fluffy retelling of the legend of King Arthur.
Why Buy It?: There’s so much wrong with this movie, but that didn’t stop me from really enjoying it. Sure, Sean Connery is way too old. Sure, long-haired Richard Gere is a lousy Lancelot. But there’s just something about this movie that makes it enjoyable in its full popcorn glory. Jerry Zucker from Airplane! fame comes off his successful Ghost to make this almost too-cheesy look at the Arthurian legend. The 1995 non-classic is available in a special edition format with new features.
Formats: Standard DVD and Blu-ray
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume Three
Director: Jim O’Brien
Cast: Sean Patrick Flannery, Harrison Ford and Anne Heche
Rated: Not rated.
Synopsis: Indiana Jones returns as a young swashbuckler in this television series.
Why Buy It?: Well, it’s a must for any hardcore Indiana Jones fan. With only three weeks left until the old (and arguably too-old) Indy hits the screens again this summer, something’s gotta help you prepare for the event. And what better way to prepare for the smackdown debate of who makes a better young Jones – Sean Patrick Flannery or Shia LaBeouf.
Formats: Standard DVD
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Director: Julian Schnabel
Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner and Marie-Josée Croze
Rated: Rated R for nudity, sexual content and some language.
Synopsis: The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who has a stroke and must learn to live in an almost entirely paralyzed body.
Why Rent It?: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was adored by critics and won some major awards, including a Golden Globe. It’s one of those films that tells an inspirational story about the power of the human spirit. With that said, it’s still an art-house movie at heart, and it is in French. But what better way to learn the French alphabet than hearing someone repeat it a dozen or so times in the film?
Formats: Standard DVD
Nanking
Director: Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Stephen Dorff and Jürgen Prochnow
Rated: Rated R for disturbing images and descriptions of wartime atrocities, including rape.
Synopsis: The story of the Rape of Nanking is told in graphic detail by actors reading first-hand accounts and interviews with survivors.
Why Rent It?: This is one of the most significant films of 2007, detailing the horrific suffering of the Chinese citizens of Nanking under the Japanese army in 1937. It is difficult to watch, at times, because of the descriptions and images of atrocities, but these stories need to be kept alive to help us remember what human beings are capable of doing to one another. Ultimately, it’s worth seeing, but it would be hard to watch a second time.
Formats: Standard DVD
Classic Caballeros Collection
Director: Norman Ferguson
Cast: Donald Duck, Goofy and Walt Disney
Rated: Rated G.
Synopsis: Walt Disney’s two animated films from the 1940s celebrating Latin America.
Why Rent It?: If you have children, anything from the Mouse House is worth a look. This DVD offers two features on one disc. It’s more of a collection of musical numbers and cultural nods than a story. The movies are a bit antiquated in their storytelling format but remain classics in the Disney line.
Formats: Standard DVD
27 Dresses
Director: Anne Fletcher
Cast: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden and Judy Greer
Rated: Rated PG-13 for language, some innuendo and sexuality.
Synopsis: Jane is always a bridesmaid and never a bride, 27 times over.
Why Avoid It?: I know I’m going to catch holy hell for panning this film, but it was as bad as I expected it to be in the theaters. If Made of Honor were not coming out this week, this would still be on top for the lamest romantic comedy of the year. If Katherine Heigl ain’t knocked up with Seth Rogan’s seed, I don’t want to see it. With that said, James Marsden does steal the show in some scenes, proving his hilarious appearance in Enchanted was not just a fluke.
Formats: Standard DVD
Moondance Alexander
Director: Michael Damian
Cast: Kay Panabaker, Don Johnson and Lori Loughlin
Rated: Rated G.
Synopsis: A young girl with no friends in school forms a special bond with a horse that she trains as a champion.
Why Avoid It?: What is more cliche than a story about a boy and his dog? How about a story about a girl and her horse? Brought to you by the studio that gave us cheeseball movies like The Ultimate Gift and Saving Sarah Cain, Moondance Alexander is so sickeningly sweet, it’s like a brick of street-grade saccharine… with really bad dialogue.
Formats: Standard DVD
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