DVD Digest for March 18, 2008

Paul Clark — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:00:00 GMT

This week, a memorable trio of new Criterions shares a release date with three of the most critically lambasted films of 2007. Who will prevail?

DVD of the Week: In the past decade, the suburban-dysfunction genre has had a lot to answer for, not least the seemingly endless string of glib American Beauty clones full of easy laughs and cheap stabs at profundity. But The Ice Storm shouldn't be held accountable for this- an uncommonly sensitive take on similar material, Ang Lee's adaptation of Rick Moody's novel ventures into uncomfortable corners of the bourgeois lifestyle without softening them with irony. Lee's film also boasted a cast that if anything is more impressive now than it was then, given the subsequent careers of then-newcomers Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes, as well as former child stars Elijah Wood and Christina Ricci. Criterion's new two-disc set features commentary from Lee and writer/producer James Schamus, interviews with Moody and many of the film's stars, and much more, plus it promises to make Frederick Elmes' cold, wet cinematography look particularly gorgeous. It's the perfect opportunity to revisit a film that warrants a second look.

Also this week, Criterion brings us two films that are new to DVD, Alberto Lattuada's Mafioso and Hiroshi Teshigahara's documentary Antonio Gaudi. Not having seen either of these films I can't pass judgment on them, but I'm glad Criterion has seen fit to give them the best treatment possible, particularly Teshigahara's film, the latest effort on their part to celebrate his often-overlooked career.

Recent releases coming to DVD include: Joe Wright's Oscar-nominated Atonement (Universal), the kid-friendly princess comedy Enchanted (Disney, also Blu-Ray), the surprisingly good I Am Legend (Warner, also Blu-Ray), Fox's failed attempt at a Potter-like franchise The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising, and the aforementioned trio of critically-drubbed films, Love in the Time of Cholera (New Line), Revolver (Sony), and Southland Tales.

New TV on DVD includes Volume 1 of the 2007 reboot of The Bionic Woman (Universal) and Season 8 of Married... with Children (Sony). That's a strange juxtaposition of flashy action and soundstage-bound low comedy, but then when it comes to television, you can't have one without the other.

Also of note is MGM's trio of new DVD editions of baseball-themed movies to get viewers geared up for Opening Day: Bull Durham, Eight Men Out, and Pride of the Yankees. Indeed, these new editions appear to be geared more toward baseball fans than movie lovers, as they're chock full of baseball-themed extras, particularly the Curt Schilling-heavy Pride of the Yankees platter.

Finally, we bring you yet another edition of the ever popular Huddleston Corner. This week, we're offering shout-outs to two new HD-DVD releases, Atonement (Universal) and Justice League: The New Frontier (Warner). However, Mr. Huddleston would like to inform you that he doesn't know how many more condolences he has left in him, and he hopes that the bums companies who are still stuck on HD-DVD will get their acts together soon.

Trailer Roundup: Charlie Wilson's War, Love in the Time of Cholera

Peter Smith — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:00:00 GMT

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

For a movie about a couple of well-placed rogue elements helping to kick the Soviets out of Afghanistan, Mike Nichols' latest looks about as glossy and middle-of-the-road as a movie of this sort can be. But homogenization aside, is it just me, or does something about Charlie Wilson’s War seem a bit familiar? Let’s see: two of Hollywood’s biggest stars top-line a comedy in which they find themselves in the middle of a war being fought in a Muslim-dominated country. Wait a sec. . . could this turn out to be Nichols’ Ishtar? Come to think of it, that would be kind of awesome, considering that (a) Nichols’ former comedy partner Elaine May hasn’t directed a single film since that 1987 flop, while Nichols’ career thrives despite turds like Regarding Henry and What Planet Are You From?, and (b) the studio is intent on selling the movie as prime Oscar material. If my suspicion pans out, no amount of hot-fudge love or cherry-ripple kisses could help endear this to the Academy.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA

You know, it’s bad enough when Hollywood makes mincemeat of good books by popular authors. But to see the work of a Nobel-prize-winning author like Gabriel Garcia Marquez sold like a Hispanic Nicholas Sparks adaptation. . . no, it’s just too much. I despair that this will be the first taste of Garcia Marquez for the majority of moviegoing audiences, and that in all probability the movie won’t give them any reason to discover his books. I’m also not a big fan of the credit "original songs by Shakira," but that’s a relatively minor quibble. The big problem here is this: just because it’s a novel doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to adapt it. My only hope is that the inevitable surge in popularity for Doris Lessing following her recent Nobel won’t suddenly prompt Hollywood to green-light a film version of The Golden Notebook starring Scarlett Johansson.

— Paul Clark

The Screengrab : love in the time of cholera

DVD Digest for March 18, 2008

Trailer Roundup: Charlie Wilson's War, Love in the Time of Cholera