Watchlist
Notable DVD releases for May 14th & 21st, 2013
By Max Braden
May 22, 2013
Parker
Who: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Clifton Collins Jr., Bobby Cannavale, Patti LuPone, Nick Nolte, Wendell Pierce
What: Statham, in an action role typical of him, of course plays a criminal who lives by a code (probably not relevant to the action, but who cares). His partners in crime (led by Chiklis) betray him, so he sets out to settle the score with the help of a real-estate agent (Lopez) who has an inside advantage. Nolte plays Statham's mentor. The character comes from crime writer Donald Westlake, and is adapted from the novel Flashfire.
When: May 21st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: This is a little like the Schwarzenegger situation, in that there's nothing really new here for Statham, but he's good at beating people up, and I'm happy to watch him do it. Lopez is an interesting addition.
Promised Land
Who: Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook, Lucas Black, Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, director Gus Van Sant.
What: Tackling the topical issue of fracking for natural gas in Pennsylvania, Damon and McDormand play representatives of an energy company who offer a small town a chance to revive their economy by selling drilling rights. Krasinski plays an environmental activist who tries to appeal to the town's interest in having drinking water that doesn't need to be kept away from open flames.
When: May 21st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: The plot here is predictable - I mean, what do we expect, that Matt Damon's going to end the movie at a stinking rich resort sipping drinks next to his trophy wife? But it's Matt Damon so you have to watch. Van Sant of course got an Oscar nomination for directing Damon in Good Will Hunting (as well as for Milk), and Holbrook and McDormand have pretty impressive resumes too. I expected it to be awards bait this past season, but it maybe they all passed it up for being too obvious.
Stand Up Guys
Who: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Julianna Margulies, Lucy Punch, Mark Margolis, Rick Gomez
What: Your old partner in crime comes out of a long stint in jail, and your bosses tell you to whack him before morning or they'll whack you. What do you do? Boys night out, of course. Pacino plays the ex-con, Walken plays the guy between a rock and a hard place, and Arkin plays a mutual friend who joins them for a night of bars and girls and crime.
When: May 21st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Hey, old guys deserve bromances too. The bittersweetness of the movie looks nice, and you've got a good trio of actors there along with some pretty girls. This is the first dramatic feature that actor Fisher Stevens has directed. I always remember him as the punk in My Science Project and Short Circuit, but surprise - he has an Oscar for producing the documentary The Cove.
Struck By Lightning
Who: Chris Colfer, Rebel Wilson, Allison Janney, Dermot Mulroney, Angela Kinsey, Christina Hendricks
What: Colfer plays a high school student who narrates the story of his life - after he's been killed by lightning. Wilson plays a classmate in his writer's club. The movie was written by Colfer based on his novel.
When: May 21st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: It's not a long walk to take a Glee character obsessed with singing and convert him to a high school student obsessed with becoming a writer, so Colfer's obsessive TV fans will likely be interested in this movie. (Put Naya Rivera in a leading role and I'll be first in line for a ticket.) I'm a fan of Rebel Wilson, and although I don't expect her to have a substantial role, she's done well before with only a few scenes.
Note: Some outlets like Redbox have Gangster Squad this week - I'll cover it when it's released by Netflix next week. Cloud Atlas is also currently available as an online on-demand title but will be released on DVD by Netflix on June 11th.
What I'm watching this week:
I'd say this is pretty much a guy's week when it comes to rentals. I think there are three that I'm equally interested in to start with: I have to see Arnold wielding some big guns (with Knoxville's nutty humor to back him up) in The Last Stand, I have to see Statham cracking some bones in Parker and I'm looking forward to the nostalgic atmosphere of Stand Up Guys. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III also looks like it could be funny because of Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, and I have to check Promised Land off my list so I can convince myself that I at least thought about a socially conscious issue. (Plus, I'm pro Pennsylvania.) Could be better, could be worse. That's not a bad week for home viewing.
Coming next week:
Gangster Squad, The Devil's in the Details, The Numbers Station
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