Killer Elite (2011)
September 24, 2011
written by: Matt Shering & GaryMcKendry (script) and Ranulph Fiennes (story)
produced by: Michael Boughen, Tony Winley, Steve Chasman & Sigurjón Sighvatsson
directed by: Gary McKendry
rating: R (for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity
runtime: 105 min.
U.S. release date: September 23, 2011
The trailer for “Killer Elite” was thrown together to attract action junkies. In it you’ll find a bloodied Jason Statham jumping out of a window while tied to a chair, a silly-looking mustachioed Clive Owen spewing threats, and a weary-looking Robert DeNiro cracking wise. Like so many other trailers, it’s also meant to show the “best of” scenes from a movie, while misleading viewers with its “Rock You Like a Hurricane” promise. If that doesn’t cut it, there’s also a poster with the three actors posing with guns and sunglasses, as the tagline reads, “May the Best Man Live”, as if we’re about to see a game. Well, if the object of the game is to provide a completely convoluted and incomprehensible story, than this movie is a clear winner.
Moneyball (2011)
September 23, 2011
written by: Steve Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin
produced by: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz & Brad Pitt
directed by: Bennett Miller
rated: PG-13 (for some strong language)
runtime: 133 min.
U.S. release date: September 23, 2011
There has to be more to a sports film than just watching actors suit up and play. The best baseball movies are never really about baseball, nor are they ever really the best because of baseball. It’s highly doubtful (yet not improbable) that anyone who repeatedly watches “Bull Durham” and “Field of Dreams”, or even “Major League”, does so just because they’re baseball movies. Like any movie, an absorbing story and engaging characters must be present amid all the RBIs, OBPs and ERAs. Surprisingly, it just so happens that the statistics-laden “Moneyball” is such a rarity and so much more.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (09-20-11)
September 20, 2011
Another long list of releases is here! There are few standouts here Not a whole lot stands out as far as movies that were released this year, except for one of the best comedies of the year, “Bridesmaids”, which can be found walking down the aisle this week. Two special releases exclusive to Blu-ray are Audrey Hepburn in the classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and Disney’s sweet and trippy “Dumbo” comes soaring into your home (pink elephants and all!). Among the direct-to-video, TV seasons, and random new-to-Blu-ray releases, those are the three titles that stand out, but you might find something else here that tickles your fancy.
Drive (2011)
September 15, 2011
written by: Hossein Amini
produced by: Michael Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker & Adam Siegel
directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
rated: R (for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity)
runtime: 100 minutes
U.S. release date: September 16, 2011
If you’ve seen Nicolas Winding Refn’s last two films, then you’ve witnessed two stunning and original features. Both last year’s “Valhalla Rising” and “Bronson” before it, are different films for the Danish director, yet his masterful touch is evident throughout each. There is a great deal of unnerving violence in his films, but at the same time, there is a combination of slight humor and artful vision that allows viewers to become immediately mesmerized. Long after you view a Refn film, it becomes impossible to erase specific sequences and images from your mind, and his superb new film “Drive” is no different.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (09-13-11)
September 13, 2011
This is just one of those weeks where it seems like a dump truck is just unloading releases! Amid the array of TV seasons, kiddie fare, and reissues, there’s also some handsome Criterion releases on Blu-ray (Altman’s “3 Women” and Hallstrom’s “Life As a Dog”) and a handful of Anniversary Editions (“The Frighteners” and “Halloween II”), but most notably “Citizen Kane” which celebrates 70 years! One of the best comic book movies of the year “Thor” is finally out, but “Meek’s Cutoff” and “Incendies” are the two movies I’m excited to catch up with. They will be added to my long list.
Contagion (2011)
September 9, 2011
written by: Scott Z. Burns
produced by: Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher & Gregory Jacobs
directed by: Steven Soderbergh
rating: R (for disturbing content and some language)
runtime: 105 min.
U.S. release date: September 9, 2011
The smattering of first responses for “Contagion” from people who haven’t yet seen it have sounded like this, “Wasn’t this done already?” and then, “Wasn’t there already, like, an outbreak movie? Wait, wasn’t it called “Outbreak”?” Yes, there was, but there are vast differences between that movie and director Steven Soderbergh’s smart and effective take on the pandemic genre. The common thread though is that humanity will always be susceptible to a global freakout when it comes to such a crisis, but the primary difference is the use of technology today.
Warrior (2011)
September 9, 2011
writtten by: Gavin O’ Connor
produced by: Gavin O’ Connor, Cliff Dorfman and Anthony Tambakis
directed by: Gavin O’ Connor
rated: PG-13 (for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material)
runtime: 140 min.
U.S. release date: September 9, 2011
Marketed with as much pomp as a fighting promoter, “Warrior” is a film that embraces the predictable sports formula that’s been around forever. The sport here is MMA (that’s Mixed Martial Arts, if you didn’t already know), the physically demanding smackdown sport where two athletes go at in the ring, in full contact mode. It’s insane. While fighting is all over this movie, it’s not just the blood and sweat kind. It’s the kind filled with bitterness, resentment, and guilt, involving two battered and bruised brothers and their estranged father.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (09-06-11)
September 6, 2011
Your post-Labor Day selections are all over the place this week. From a handful of animated picks for the kiddos to several reissued horror flicks. Director Brian DePalma has two releases new to Blu-ray, “Dressed to Kill” and “Scarface” (released in a Limited Edition), but I would spend time with Sam Peckinpah’s unrated “Straw Dogs” instead. There’s also a great serious turn by Will Ferrell in “Everything Must Go” and “Hanna” a movie that made my Top Ten Films of 2011 (so far) list.
Everything Must Go (2011)
September 6, 2011
written by: Dan Rush (screenplay) & Raymond Carver (story)
produced by: Marty Bowen & Wyck Godfrey
directed by: Dan Rush
rated R (for language and some sexual content)
runtime: 85 min.
U.S. release date: May 13, 2011
DVD/Bluray release date: September 6, 2011
Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby are hilarious, but I prefer Harold Crick from “Stranger than Fiction” when it comes to Will Ferrell roles. That 2006 character was a welcome departure from the popular man-child roles Ferrell has hit it big with. Although he starred in other dramas, this was his most recognized role and it showed (as it has in the past with Tom Hanks and Jim Carrey), that sometimes some of the best comic talents can deliver some wonderful dramatic performances. Such is the case with this fine film, where we find Ferrell delivering his most complicating work to date.
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
September 5, 2011
written by: Dan Fogelman
produced by: Steve Carell, Vance DeGeneres, Charlie Hartstock, David A. Siegel, & Denise Di Novi
directed by: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
rated PG-13 (for coarse humor, sexual content and language)
runtime: 118 min.
U.S. release date: July 29, 2011
Sometimes just the title of a movie can immediately grab you and pique your curiosity, but one can only hope it will live up to the catchy title. Thankfully, such is the case with “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” a movie that holds its head high amidst the vast sea of R-rated raunch moviegoers are flooded with lately. It embraces PG-13 (while blatantly acknowledging it) and yet still doesn’t hold back by showing us real characters (that are crazy and stupid and in love) who are as relatable as they are flawed and incorrigible (maybe even because of that). In the romantic dramedy genre, it’s refreshing to see a clever story come alive by a perfect cast in a less-is-more approach, but its biggest gift to viewers is a lack of predictability.
