This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (11-13-12)
Skyfall (2012)
written by: John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade
produced by: Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli
directed by: Sam Mendes
rating: PG-13 (for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality language and smoking)
runtime: 143 min.
U.S. release date: November 9, 2012
50: the number of years James Bond has been on the big-screen, 23: the number of Bond films that have been made and 3: the number of times Daniel Craig has portrayed Bond, making him the 6th actor to play 007. It’s kind of hard not to do the math when examining the longest running franchise in film history. “Skyfall” is the latest entry and some are already saying “the greatest Bond film ever”, but rating Bond films is so subjective, which leaves me room to admit that this is one of the more personal entries in the iconic canon and quite possibly the best looking one at that. The last two movies, the immensely successful “Casino Royale” and the critically panned “Quantum of Solace” were considered a reboot of the character, then “Skyfall” gives us a movie that examines who and what Bond while bringing us closer to what we’ve come to expect from a Bond film.
Argo (2012)
written by: Chris Terrio
produced by: Grant Heslov, George Clooney and Ben Affleck
directed by: Ben Affleck
rating: R (for language and some violent images)
runtime: 120 min.
U.S. release date: October 12, 2012
Having made a name for himself as an actor, Ben Affleck has turned to the director’s chair over the last six years. His first two movies were crime thrillers, 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone” and 2010’s “The Town”, and both showed a knack for really solid filmmaking, both of which I liked a lot. For Affleck’s third film though, he had a little change of pace with 2012’s “Argo”.
CLASSICS: Casino Royale (2006)
(originally written on November 21, 2006)
written by: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, & Paul Haggis (screenplay); Ian Fleming (novel)
produced by: Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson
directed by: Martin Campbell
rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity).
runtime: 144 min.
U.S. release date: November 17, 2006
DVD/Blu-ray release date: March 13, 2007
The 21st James Bond movie is set out to reboot the franchise by bringing the iconic character back to his roots. Based on the first Ian Fleming novel published way back in 1953, “Casino Royale” (no relation to the 1967 film of the same name) is a suspenseful and exhilarating film, the first to actually show us the Bond that Fleming created. In a back-to-basics approach similar to what Christopher Nolan did with “Batman Begins”, this Bond is rugged, arrogant and making mistakes along the way. Like the new actor playing him, Bond is a green agent here, before he would become the suave spy we’re come to expect. The result is a movie that relies on character over gadgets, filled with breathtaking action and intense drama. While “Casino Royale” holds on to some familiar Bond conventions, it also thrusts us into new territory by starting at square one.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (11-06-12)
Flight (2012)
written by: John Gatins
produced by: Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey & Robert Zemeckis
directed by: Robert Zemeckis
rating: R (for drug and alcohol abuse, language, sexuality/nudity and intense action)
runtime: 139 min.
U.S. release date: November 2, 2012
After spending years immersed in motion-capture filmmaking (“The Polar Express” and “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”) veteran director Robert Zemeckis has returned to live-action with “Flight”. While he’s produced many movies since releasing “Cast Away” and “What Lies Beneath” twelve years ago, all eyes are on Zemeckis the Director, to see if the Oscar-winner’s magic is still intact away from the animation genre. The response to his latest film will likely be one of overwhelming praise, what with its breathtaking beginning and the enduring appeal of its star. I’ll give it that, but “Flight” also nose dives into predictable characters in situations we’ve seen before. Even with some stunning visuals and a mostly compelling examination of self-destruction, there’s no getting around a certain air of familiarity about it all.
Reel Talk Podcast #17 – Halloween Slasher Special
It’s that time of the year again. Time to pass out candy to kids while hiding a stash for yourself. Time to dress up in that homemade costume you’ve been working on all year – or not. It’s also time to revisit Haddonfield, Illinois, hometown of one Michael Myers. The sociopath slasher with a thing for offing promiscuous teens while wearing Captain Kirk masks. It’s a special “Halloween” episode, where Demetri and I compare Rob Zombie’s 2007 “Halloween” remake to the classic 1978 indie film by John Carpenter, while also discussing what movies scared us as kids and today, as adults….
The Criterion Completist – House (1977)
written by: Chiho Katsura
produced by: Nobuhiko Obayashi and Yorihiko Yamada
directed by: Nohubiko Obayashi
rating: none
runtime: 88 min.
Japanese release date: July 30, 1977
Modern fright flicks such as “Ringu”, “The Grudge” and “Audition” have put Japan on the map as a leader in the horror film genre. But recently, Criterion unearthed the cult classic “House”, which shows that the Japanese had been creating strong cinematic films for years. Not to be confused with the 1986 American horror film of the same name, “House” is the highly bizarre creation of Japanese director Nobuhiko Obayashi, and one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen, horror or otherwise.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (10-30-12)
It’s one of those “Catch-Up” weeks, where a handful of films that I haven’t yet seen rise to the top of a mediocre list. The big major studio release is the appropriately-timed comedy “The Campaign” starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rival presidential candidate, directed by Jay Roach (“Austin Powers”). Two indie movies (with links to “Little Miss Sunshine”) may give you something a little more unexpected. From the Directors of “Sunshine” comes “Ruby Sparks” starring the very busy Paul Dano and then there’s “Safety Not Guaranteed”, from the producers of “Little Miss”. All three showcase an impressive group of supporting actors, such as: John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Chris Messina, Steve Coogan, Jeff Garlin and Mary Lynn Rajskub, in movies that provide varying degrees of laughter.
Cloud Atlas (2012)
written by: Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer
produced by: Grant Hill, Stefan Arnt, Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski & Tom Tykwer
directed by: Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer
rating: r (for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use)
runtime: 172 min.
U.S. release date: October 26, 2012
A week after my initial viewing of this passionate and ambitious adaptation of David Mitchell’s dense novel, I’m still quite impressed with what I saw – even though I didn’t like it all. With six storylines, requiring three Oscar-winning actors to play six different roles in six different timelines and four other actors following suit as well as supporting actors playing other multiple characters, this is undoubtedly the most ambitious film I’m likely to see this year. The movie also crosses genres in its almost three-hour length, from the 1800s to the year 2144 and beyond, so there may be something for everyone here. Maybe.
