Watchlist
Notable DVD releases for August 6, 2013
By Max Braden
August 22, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Here's my watchlist of DVD and cloud releases for the week of:
August 6th (click the movie title to see the trailer)
Admission
Who: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff, Wallace Shawn, Michael Sheen, Lily Tomlin
What: Tina Fey plays a by-the-book admissions officer at Princeton who heads off on her annual recruiting tour. On her trip she reconnects with a college classmate (Rudd) and meets a student who is applying to Princeton and who may also turn out to be the son she gave up for adoption years ago. She then faces a number of choices outside her normally defined lines.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Pairing Rudd and Fey in a comedy seems like something Judd Apatow would be involved in, but this movie is directed by Paul Weitz, who directed About a Boy and In Good Company. Those movies were more sophisticated comedies, which suggests that Admission is grounded in more sincerity than slapstick. Rudd and Fey can do both, so that seems like a good mix. Unfortunately most critics said that this movie fizzled.
Antiviral
Who: Caleb Landry Jones, Malcolm McDowell, Sarah Gadon
What: A sci-fi thriller that takes celebrity obsession to an extreme: imagine is fans could inject themselves with viruses that came from a celebrity. You know, to feel closer to the person by sharing their cold. Jones plays a lab worker named Syd at a company that supplies these viruses, and moonlights by smuggling out extra special samples to collectors. When Syd infects himself with a strain that killed superstar Hannah Geist (Gadon), he becomes a target for the obsessed as well as the center of the mystery around her death. McDowell plays the celebrity's private doctor.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Director Brandon Cronenberg is the son of horror director David Cronenberg and looks like he's following in his dad's footsteps of making films that involve corrupting science and the mind and body. I picked up on this movie by McDowell's inclusion, which always grabs my interest, but the plot here is potentially intriguing. Gadon previously appeared in David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method as Carl Jung's wife.
Gallowwalkers
Who: Wesley Snipes, Kevin Howarth, Riley Smith, Tanit Phoenix
What: A western with a horror twist - Snipes plays a man who is killed by the same outlaws who killed his woman, but is brought back to life from the prayers of a nun. However, his own victims also come back from the dead and hunt him as zombies. He recruits a young man played by Riley Smith to help fight the zombies while he continues to look for the outlaws who wronged him.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Snipes is finally out of prison and back in the movies! Actually, this movie started shooting in 2006 and was completed just when Snipes was sent to prison for tax evasion.
Goodnight for Justice
Who: Luke Perry, Lara Gilchrist, director Jason Priestley
What: A made-for-TV western starring Luke Perry as a circuit judge who has been waiting years for the chance to get revenge on the outlaw that killed his family.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Heads up, 90210 fans, not only is Luke Perry starring, but he's being directed by Brandon Walsh himself!
The Host
Who: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, Max Irons, William Hurt, Emily Browning, Rachel Roberts
What: From the author of the Twilight saga, this sci-fi thriller is set in a future where most humans are hosts to some sort of alien implant, while the ones who are not implanted have formed a resistance group. Ronan plays a girl who is sent by Kruger's antagonist to infiltrate the resistance, falling for Irons' character in the process.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: I have to say that for me, advertising Stephenie Meyer's name isn't a selling point because I haven't enjoyed the teenage angst in the Twilight movies. Many have enjoyed the movies, though, so here's an opportunity to see more of her work outside the vampire setting. What does sell me on the movie is the slick look of the sci-fi elements, which make me think of Oblivion and Elysium.
Magic Magic
Who: Juno Temple, Emily Browning, Michael Cera, Catalina Sandino Moreno
What: A psychological thriller set in South America. Juno Temple stars as Alicia, a young woman travelling in Chile with her cousin, played by Browning, and a friend played by Cera. Alicia has insomnia, and the strange behavior in her companions, particularly Cera's character, starts to make her afraid for her own safety and sanity.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Having recently seen Temple in Killer Joe, I'm interested in seeing her perform in a more serious setting. The set up for this movie reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Olsen's psychological thriller, Silent House, though Magic Magic seems to rely more on the deranged personalities of regular people. It's surprising to see Cera, who is normally found in awkward comedies, playing someone who could be seriously deranged and dangerous. That may be a turn off for his regular fans, or maybe a point of interest for them to see how he does outside his usual role.
Mud
Who: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Sam Shepard, Reese Witherspoon
What: A coming of age drama starring McConaughey and two boys. Set on the Mississippi River in Arkansas, two teenage boys meet and befriend a homeless man named Mud. Mud, they find out, is a fugitive who killed a man for hurting his girlfriend Juniper (Witherspoon). The boys decide to help Mud while dealing with their own adolescent issues.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: There are a handful of movies each year that are released well before the fall awards consideration season and get some critical approval, and Mud is one of those movies this year. McConaughey has frequently appeared in light romance and comedy roles, but delivers a serious performance in this movie that got the attention of many critics.
On the Road
Who: Sam Riley, Garret Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, director Walter Salles.
What: Adapted from the 1957 road trip novel by Jack Kerouac, Sam Riley stars as Sal Paradise, a young man from New Jersey who goes on a year-long road trip with Dean Moriarty, played by Garrett Hedlund. Together they meet a variety of characters during their travel across the United States.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: I've known about the cultural impact of the novel but I've never read it. It surprises me to find out that this is the first successful film adaptation of the famous novel, which was written over five decades ago. Director Walter Salles seems like a good choice, since he also directed another period road trip movie, The Motorcycle Diaries. Riley has been in some British movies I haven't seen, but Hedlund is more well known, for starring in Tron: Legacy and the film version of Friday Night Lights.
The Sapphires
Who: Chris O'Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shar Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell, Tory Kittles, Eka Darville
What: A musical comedy biopic, based on a play by Tony Briggs, based on a true story about a girl group with a Motown sound in the 1960s. In this version, four Aboriginal women in Australia are discovered by an Irish talent scout (O'Dowd) who sends them to entertain U.S. troops in Vietnam. They become popular on the outside but struggle with infighting and issues in their own lives.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Musical biopics like this are always enjoyable experiences. I especially like that this is an Australian production with Australian actresses. O'Dowd is probably best known for playing the police officer and love interest to Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids, and to British audiences for starring in The IT Crowd.
The Story of Luke
Who: Lou Taylor Pucci, Seth Green, Cary Elwes, Kristin Bauer
What: A light drama starring Pucci as a young man with autism naked Luke, cared for by his aunt (Bauer). Luke decides he will set out for a normal life by getting a job and looking for a girlfriend, with the drama and humor coming out of his awkward but sincere interpersonal interactions.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Pucci's one of those names I know from some movie, but can never figure out which one. He first gained attention from starring in Thumbsucker in 2005. In this movie, Seth Green, who normally takes obnoxiously funny roles, seems to have his own emotional spectrum issues. I'm a Cary Elwes fan, though he seems to have a small role as an adult male role model. This looks like a movie for a thoughtful evening, and possibly a good date movie.
To the Wonder
Who: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem, director Terrence Malick.
What: A romantic drama. Ben Affleck stars as Neil, an American who meets a Ukranian single mother, Marina, (Kurlyenko) in Paris. They fall in love and he brings her and her daughter to Oklahoma, but then they start to drift apart. Marina becomes close to a priest played by Javier Bardem, and Neil becomes close with a previous girlfriend played by Rachel McAdams. Ben eventually has to decide who he will commit to.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Affleck has received some well deserved notoriety as a director in recent years, but he's still a big name actor, so it's somewhat surprising that a starring role for him wouldn't be the weekend box office leader. But To the Wonder was never released to more than 60 theaters in April. This is less surprising when you take into account that it's a Terrence Malick project. His movies are grand, but by no means tentpole or popcorn features. His previous movie, The Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt, had people talking despite the very minimalistic dialogue. It went on receive three Oscar nominations. That is an indicator of the type of romance and drama you can expect from To the Wonder: quiet, thoughtful, spiritual.
Zambezia
Who: Jeremy Suarez, Leonard Nimoy, Abigail Breslin, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson
What: An animated animal adventure set along the Zambezi river in Africa. Suarez voices the lead character of Kai, a young falcon who wants a more adventurous life. Frustrated with his overprotective father (voice by Jackson), Kai heads to a bustling bird city, meets another young bird (voiced by Abigail Breslin), and joins a flying guard called The Hurricanes. Together they have to protect the bird city from some mean storks led by a monitor lizard, and grow up in the process.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Despite some of the big name voice talent, this looks like a knock off of some of the flying owl acrobatic elements of 2010's Legend of the Guardians. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - Guardians was almost too stylish, while Zambezia's animation style is less sophisticated. Zambezia also looks like it copies some of the side character hijinks of Rio, so this G rated movie is probably a decent family film.
There are two movies this week that I'm looking forward to because, like most audiences, I didn't catch them in the theater earlier this year. Mud is one of those potential award contenders you occasionally see released outside the typical award season. McConaughey in particular seems to be delivering his best dramatic performance in years (not counting his over-the-top character in Killer Joe). My first impression is that Mud is a modern Stand By Me. Ben Affleck's To the Wonder has a strong pedigree with Terrence Malick as director. It may be less likely to earn any award consideration, but Malick's films are at least always interesting and not typical genre pieces. I'm guessing that fans of On the Road will consider the movie adaptation a must-see, though I don't the chances of it living up to expectations for fans who have loved the novel for so long. I'm more inclined to go less highbrow and more commercial with the sci-fi flick The Host and the period musical comedy The Sapphires. Admission has the appearance of a sincere comedy, but based on reviews I'd probably opt for The Story of Luke instead. Horror fans should check out Antiviral and Magic Magic for brainy fare or Gallowwalkers to celebrate Wesley Snipes' release from prison. Finally, Zambezia offers something for families, with an animated animal adventure.
Coming next week:
42, The Big Wedding, Bullet to the Head, The Company You Keep, Emperor, The Hot Flashes, Olympus Has Fallen, What Maisie Knew