How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
March 10, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For Twilight fans who wondered what it would be like if the human/vampire roles were reversed: Let the Right One In
I never got around to seeing this one. Not that it was my fault per se. The Swedish romantic horror movie never played in more than 53 theaters in a weekend. And let's just say that at the time of Let the Right One In's October 24th release, I was living in an area that strictly catered to the High School Musical 3/Saw V/Max Payne crowd. Ick.
Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, which I have read and without doubt recommend, Let the Right One In is about two things really. One is an ongoing murder mystery that rocks Blackberge, a suburb of Stockholm. The other is something more sweet: A puppy love romance between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and a mysterious child, Eli, who also happens to be a vampire.
Fortunately/unfortunately, an American remake is already in the works. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) has grabbed the reigns to write and helm the feature. Overture Films plans to release it next year.
Remind me again why we're remaking a movie that already garnered near universal acclaim? As Let the Right One In helmer Tomas Alfredson told Ain't it Cool News: "Remakes should be made of movies that aren't very good, that gives you the chance to fix whatever has gone wrong." Spot on, Alfredson.
Disc includes: Deleted scenes, Behind-the-Scenes featurette, photo gallery, theatrical poster gallery
For people who think Anne Hathaway has officially graduated from silly romcoms: Rachel Getting Married
Whoa. Was that really the same woman we last saw in Get Smart? That's nearly all my mind could focus on when exiting a showing of SPC's Rachel Getting Married. She's positively nutso, while at the same time a girl who at heart wants her sister to have a happy wedding weekend. That is, of course, if she can force some forgiveness out of her and the family first. Her character, Kym, was for sure a challenging role to pull off, but Anne Hathaway definitely nailed it. She would have been my pick for Best Actress if Kate Winslet had taken 2008 completely off.
Jonathan Demme filmed Rachel Getting Married as if he were invading the bride-to-be's home for the weekend. Cinema verite was in use here, making the movie's testimonials (the rehearsal dinner) and frequent fights (practically anytime Rachel and Kym are together) more intimate and real.
Disc includes: Deleted scenes, audio commentary, Cast and Crew Q&A featurette, A Look Behind-the-Scenes of Rachel Getting Married featurette, The Wedding Band featurette
For people who never knew how The Castro got so gay: Milk
Though a very good film, Milk failed to live up to my expectations. It's slow moving, and seems to run into this plateau about midway through that it regrettably can't surmount. Thus, when new actions popped up, I'd casually monitor how they played out, instead of feeling fully invested in what I was watching on screen.
General film reactions aside, Sean Penn plays a superb Harvey Milk. It's a performance that merits more at-home viewing that it received in theaters. And, were I not so obsessed with Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, I'd have been more ecstatic to see Penn accept his trophy for Best Actor (even if his "I've made it hard to appreciate me" rant was a bit off-putting). While on the topic of good performances, Josh Brolin also deserves a shout out for his Dan White portrayal.
Disc includes: Deleted scenes, Remembering Harvey featurette, Hollywood Comes to San Francisco featurette, Marching for Equality featurette
For people who wish Charlie Kaufman could make at least one movie a year: Synecdoche, New York
Charlie Kaufman's first foray in directing was the sprawling, outrageously ambitious Synecdoche, New York. Though the movie managed to appear on a number of critical top ten lists as one of the best films of 2008, a common complaint I came across was how it suffered from a case of poor execution (no matter how unique and interesting its premise may be). I concur. Like Philip Seymour Hoffman's character, Caden, who's never satisfied with his project's direction and repeatedly keeps adding new things to it, writer-director Kaufman includes too much stuff in his movie. The scope is too broad so as to make Synecdoche, New York seem like it's about a lot of things, but then maybe not really at all.
The dramedy, starring Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton and Dianne Wiest, among others, is about a theater director who embarks on his career-defining magnum opus after his wife (Keener) leaves him and he learns he is dying from a mysterious disease. He assembles his cast and crew together and puts them to work. For the director, this means letting them live their lives on one big stage, which over time starts replicating the actors' real lives, and also Caden's.
Disc includes: The Story of Caden Cotard featurette, Infectious Diseases in Cattle: Bloggers' Round Table, NFTS/Script Factory Masterclass with Charlie Kaufman, screen animations
For people who wouldn't mind seeing Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott pair up in more projects: Role Models (Unrated)
Given the comedy talent lined up for Role Models (Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks and Jane Lynch), it's a wonder how these actors hardly crossed paths with one another in previous projects. The only true connection most of them share is The 40 Year-Old Virgin, and Scott wasn't even in that one.
In Role Models, Rudd and Scott play chums Danny and Wheeler, two energy drink salesmen who are forced to log 150 hours of community service after mistakenly destroying school property, among other charges. They're assigned to a big brother-like program called Sturdy Wings, headed by a recovering coke addict (Lynch), and given separate kids to take care of. Danny gets partnered with a foulmouthed teen (Bobb'e J. Thompson), while Wheeler is handed a LARP-obsessed nerd (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).
Disc includes: Theatrical version, deleted scenes and alternate takes, bloopers, In-Characer and Off Script featurette, On the Set of Role Models featurette, audio commentary
March 10, 2009
Blu-ray
Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 (Special Edition)
Battle in Seattle
Brokeback Mountain
Cadillac Records
Fractals: Hunting The Hidden Dimension
Let the Right One In
Max Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels
Milk
Pinocchio (Anniversary Edition)
Primal Fear (Special Edition)
Rachel Getting Married
Role Models
Rush: Snakes & Arrows Live
South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season
Stevie Wonder: Live at Last
Synecdoche, New York
Transporter 3
DVD
Alfie
Angel: Season Five (New Box Art)
Barenaked Ladies: Bare Naked Truth
The Baron: The Complete Series
Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 (Special Edition)
Battle in Seattle
The Best Years: The Complete First Season
The Boy in Striped Pajamas
Cadillac Records
Caroline in the City: The Second Season
Family Ties: The Fifth Season
Get Smart: Season 2
Happy-Go-Lucky
Howard The Duck (Special Edition)
Linkin Park: Coup D'Etat Unauthorized
Max Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels (Restored)
Nas: I Don't Understand Hip Hop Unauthorized
Out Of Ireland (Deluxe Edition)
Pinocchio (Anniversary Edition)
Primal Fear (Special Edition)
Rush: Snakes & Arrows Live
South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season
The Starter Wife: Season 1
Stevie Wonder: Live at Last
Transporter 3 (Special Edition)