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Blu-ray Review: Clash of the Titans (1981)
Warner Bros. | 1981 | 118 mins. | Not rated
For many, 1981’s Clash of the Titans is best remembered as the last film of to feature stop-motion animation effects by living legend Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen had made a name for himself with his work on such earlier films as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), and One Million Years, B.C. (1967). While many, including myself, will freely admit that Clash of the Titans wasn’t Ray’s finest work, his effects still manage to upstage the bulk of the story. Only eight when the film came out, I can remember being absolutely amazed by every aspect of it, just a few years later when I saw it on VHS.
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Blu-ray Review: Capitalism – A Love Story
Starz / Anchor Bay | 2009 | 127 mins. | Rated R
Arguably one of the best known documentary filmmakers in the western world, Michael Moore is a man who stirs up strong emotions. People tend to love or hate him, with little room for a middle ground. The strong feelings he evokes means that he becomes the focal point of each film he makes, regardless of its subject matter, technical merit, or message.
In his latest film Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore takes dead aim at the problems with the free market system. Entertaining, disturbing, and thought provoking, the film explores what price the United States pays for its unbridled love of the capitalist system. Families are paying the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere.
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Blu-ray Review: Broken Embraces
Sony Pictures | 2009 | 127 mins. | Rated R
Director Pedro Almodóvar has clearly found his muse in Penélope Cruz; after working together in Live Flesh, All About My Mother and Volver, the two teamed up again for Broken Embraces. A film within a film that moves back and forth between past and present evoking genres as different as noir and melodrama, movie fans should be thrilled at the number of film references throughout the picture. Beyond that, many of Almodóvar’s films over the past twenty-five years have focused on how people change their persona in pursuit of their desires, without concern for the consequences that may result. Broken Embraces continues that trend.
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Blu-ray Review: Where The Wild Things Are
Warner Bros. | 2009 | 101 mins. | Rated PG
As a child, Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are was a regular part of my bedtime reading routine. As a matter of fact, it was one of the first books I learned to read. Suffice to say, I have found memories of the story, and still keep a copy of the book in my personal library. That being said, I had serious doubts when I heard Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) had signed on to direct and co-write (with Dave Eggers) a film adaptation of the beloved tale. I didn’t doubt his talent; one just had to wonder if an illustrated children’s book that consists of nine sentences and just twenty pages, could realistically be turned into a feature film.
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Blu-ray Review: The Princess and the Frog
Disney / Buena Vista | 2009 | 97 mins. | Rated G
In recent years, Disney has found itself playing catch up with the mighty PIXAR when it comes to animated films. While the ‘House of Mouse’ has put out some enjoyable fare including Meet the Robinsons, and Bolt, they have been surpassed by the innovative techniques and multi-layered storylines that PIXAR has introduced in nearly every film in the studios catalog, beginning with Toy Story back in 1995. While Disney’s The Princess and the Frog is guaranteed to entertain younger children, parents may yearn for the more lively animation style, as this one takes us back to a very flat 2-D world.
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Blu-ray Review: Mona Lisa Smile
Sony Pictures | 2003 | 117 mins. | Rated PG-13
Mona Lisa Smile is one of those movies you can’t help but watch and wonder what might have been. When I was tempted to refer to the film as Dead Poets Society light, but that would do a real injustice to the 1989 Robin Williams film that had moments of genuine emotional power; a trait that is sorely lacking in this film, directed by Mike Newell. While the story does raise a number of interesting questions, it brushes them aside in favor of taking the “safe” path. In the process, it undermines the films overall message of female empowerment and under utilizes an incredibly talented cast.
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Blu-ray Review: Precious
Lionsgate Films | 2009 | 109 mins. | Rated R
Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Precious is a film I avoided seeing for as long as possible. I knew it would be hard to stomach. Now that I have seen it, I can say what I suspected is true, but even so, every movie watcher should see this inspirational tale once in their life. Few would blame you if you avoided Precious during its run in theaters: the story concerns an obese, illiterate, 16-year-old from Harlem who finds herself pregnant (for the second time), at the hands of her own father. She lives with her mother, who physically and verbally abuses her at every turn. It’s no wonder the girl has all but given up on life. However, she does seem to find some solace in the act of going to school, though she’s only in the seventh grade.
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Blu-ray Review: The Informant!
Warner Bros. | 2009 | 108 mins. | Rated R
The main character in The Informant! is a fairly high ranking corporate executive who goes undercover to spy on his company for the FBI. At one point, he remarks he feels like he’s living two lives—that he’s been split into two people. As I was watching this film, I found myself coming back to that line repeatedly. Not so much because of the film itself, but because of its director Stephen Soderbergh. A very successful auteur, one could argue he has two very distinct directing careers. The same man who struck box office gold with the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, is also a committed indie guy who has brought us daring projects like Che and The Girlfriend Experience.
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Blu-ray Review: Goodfellas – 20th Anniversary Edition
Warner Bros. | 1990 | 145 mins. | Rated R
Like The Godfather, I have watched Goodfellas at least half a dozen times over the years, and waffled back and forth as to which is the better film. After twenty years, I’ve decided that there may be no clear answer. However, one thing is certain: the thing that makes Scorsese’ Goodfellas a cut above the rest, is not just the stellar acting, but the fact that it’s real; his main character, Henry Hill exists, and as of this writing, lives in Malibu, California. The fact that Goodfellas is centered on a real person gives the film an authenticity The Godfather can’t claim.
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Blu-ray Review: The Time Traveler’s Wife
New Line Cinema | 2009 | 107 mins. | Rated PG-13
A word piece of advice to anyone who might be considering marriage to a time traveler: you need the patience of a saint. The Time Traveler’s Wife emphasizes the problems involved in such a marriage. Though co-stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams have turned in notable performances in other films, their lack of chemistry together, and an often illogical plot makes The Time Traveler’s Wife a disappointing, and at times, surprisingly boring film. Why the time traveler’s clothes don’t travel with him adds to the head-shaking nature of the story, but at least Bana gets to show off his buffed-up body.
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