This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (05-01-12)
The Criterion Completist – Broadcast News (1987)
written by: James L. Brooks
produced by: James L. Brooks
directed by: James L. Brooks
rating: R
runtime: 132 min.
U.S. release date: December 16, 1987
DVD/Blu-ray Criterion Collection release date: January 24, 2011
Every decade has one defining film about the state of journalism and the media in this country. The 1970s had “Network” (close tie with “All the President’s Men”), the 1990s had “The Insider”, the 2000s had “Shattered Glass”, and for the 1980s, this honor surely belongs to James Brooks’ “Broadcast News”. Unfortunately, as the quality of modern journalism continues to slide into sensationalism and “soft” news reporting, these films feel more and more like artifacts of a forgotten time and place.
The Innkeepers (2012)
written by: Ti West
produced by: Derek Curl, Larry Fessenden, Peter Phok & Ti West
directed by: Ti West
rating: for some bloody images and language
runtime: 100 min.
U.S. release date: December 20, 2011 (VOD, ZUNE, iTunes & Amazon) and February 4, 2012 (limited)
DVD/Blu-ray release date: April 24, 2012
Writer/director Ti West grabbed my attention with 2009‘s “The House of the Devil”, his genuinely unsettling homage to those babysitter horror movies of the early 80s. Everything about the film – the characters, the mood, the style – had me engaged and the retro slow-burn feel amplified its absorbing effect. Considering the recycled, gore-heavy features that have dominated the horror genre for some time now, West’s film was a refreshing genre entry. Now, he brings his “less is more” atmospheric approach to “The Innkeepers”, which serves as a reminder how unnerving a quiet empty hotel can be, especially one with paranormal activity. It’s a subdued film that will enrapture viewers with intense builds and climactic jolts – sometimes poking fun at us, sometimes frustrating us, while other times just creeping us out. “The Innkeepers” provides subtle moments of comedy to balance out the uneasiness, something absent from West’s last film, delivered by characters who are much more interesting and engaging.
Pariah (2011)
written by: Dee Rees
produced by: Nekisa Cooper
directed by: Dee Rees
rating: R (for sexual content and language)
runtime: 86 min.
U.S. release date: December 28, 2011 (limited ) and January 4, 2012 (wide)
DVD/Blu-ray release date: April 24, 2012
For her feature debut, writer/director Ree Dees loosely draws on her own experiences coming out as a lesbian, delivering a drama free of cliches, populated with fine nuanced performances that are grounded in passionate realism. Here is a film that everyone can relate to, because regardless of our sexual orientation, we all long to be accepted and loved as we discover who we are- especially during the teen years. The film that initially came to mind while watching “Pariah” was Lee Daniels’ Oscar-winning film ”Precious”, since both focus on Brooklyn minorities navigating their way through challenging times. While the subject matter in “Pariah” isn’t as harrowing as “Precious”, it is no less compelling to see a teen struggle with her sexual identity and the challenges that entails. Both films offer something special, a natural immersion into a world that is likely to be unfamiliar to many moviegoers, providing viewers with a different cultural environment and awareness.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (04-24-12)
Contraband (2012)
The Criterion Completist – A Night to Remember (1958)
written by: Eric Ambler
produced by: William MacQuitty
directed by: Roy Ward Baker
rating: unrated
runtime: 123 min.
U. S. release date: December 16, 1958
DVD/Blu-ray release date: March 27, 2012
It took just 2 hours and 40 minutes for the Titanic to sink after it struck an iceberg on April 14th, 1912, killing over 1500 of its 2200 passengers. That the chronology of the sinking fits a traditional cinematic narrative timeline is perhaps one of the reasons why this tragedy has been filmed so many times, most recently (and maybe finally) by James Cameron in his epic 1997 film “Titanic”, but none better than the 1958 British production “A Night to Remember”.
Chimpanzee (2012)
produced by: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, Don Hahn & Alex Tidmarsh
directed by: Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield
rating: G
runtime: 78 min.
U.S. release date: April 20, 2012
With chimpanzees named Oscar, Isha, Freddy, and Scar playing key characters in Disneynature’s sixth documentary, it seems a little suspect that no one is taking writing credits. After all, someone named these chimps and developed a story for them to inhabit. Granted, documentaries often omit any listing of writers in their credits, this beautifully shot, yet highly anthropomorphized documentary, clearly forces a dramatic narrative structure out of seemingly random footage to construct a story in order to keep us entertained. Although the subjects in “Chimpanzee” are fascinating, absorbing, and undeniably cute, this is the first of recent releases to coincide with Earth Day that has a certain unnaturalness to it. Clearly, the goal is to connect to squirmy children, but the decision to remove an organic observing process for viewers robs the film of its authenticity. It’s an unnecessary and unfortunate approach that lacks a confidence and trust in both the material and the audience.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (04-17-12)
The Criterion Completist – Le Doulos (1962)
written by: Jean-Pierre Melville
produced by: Carlo Ponti and Georges de Beauregard
directed by: Jean-Pierre Melville (screenplay) and Pierre Lesou (story)
rating:
runtime: 108 min.
U.S. release date: March 2, 1964
DVD/Blu-ray release date: October 7, 2008
The Criterion Collection has exhaustively catalogued the great French directors of the 20th Century, and seems to pay special attention to the crime noirs of the early 60s and of course the new wave movement that came soon after, so it’s time I knock one of these off the list. Director Jean Pierre-Melville is often credited as being a crucial link to the work of new wavers such as Jean Luc Godard, but it is perhaps the transitional nature of a work like Melville’s “Le Doulos” that makes it unsatisfying as either a noir or a new wave film.
