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vidlib@videolibrarian.com
 Updated August 31, 2010 |
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Harry Brown  Sony, 103 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Blu-ray: $30.99, Aug. 31 
This Death Wish with an English accent benefits from director Daniel Barber’s sophisticated and stylish approach to the pulpy subject matter. Of course, it also helps that Michael Caine stars as the titular vengeful vigilante, bringing depth and complexity to the flawed but sympathetic character of Harry Brown, a pensioner living in a decaying London flat who lost his daughter years ago and is now visiting his dying wife in the hospital. When Harry’s best friend is killed by local thugs and the police fail to make any arrests, the aging former soldier takes matters into his own hands—at first by accident, but then with grim determination as the corpses begin to pile up. In purely narrative terms, Harry Brown is a fairly standard-issue revenge story, but it towers over wretched Hollywood versions of the formula, depicting a gritty, realistic milieu in contrast to over-the-top American movies like 2007’s Death Sentence (and even when Barber shows us something horrendously awful, he adds a touch of sly surrealism). Caine delivers a convincing performance, turning what might have been a cheap melodrama into a rather moving tale of an elderly man’s valedictory crusade against callous brutality. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (with director Daniel Barber, producer Kris Thykier, and Michael Caine), deleted scenes (17 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “movieIQ” track and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a film anchored by a winning central performance.] (F. Swietek)
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Killers  Lionsgate, 93 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.99, Sept. 7 
Recently jilted Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) is on the French Riviera with her intimidating, skeet-shooting father (Tom Selleck) and overprotective, alcoholic mother (Catherine O’Hara) when she bumps into hunky Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher) on the elevator. One thing leads to another, and three years later they’re happily married, with a starter mansion in a gated community. What Jen doesn’t know is that Spencer’s been hiding his double identity, desperately trying to ditch his previous life as an international superspy/hit man. But soon after his 30th birthday, the pair discover that there’s a $20 million bounty on his head, which leads them to see danger everywhere (turning their so-called friends and neighbors into potential assassins) as they dodge perceived threats while trying to keep up appearances. Director Robert Luketic’s Killers borrows liberally from earlier films, most notably the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie vehicle Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Jamie Lee Curtis hit True Lies. But unlike their models, Heigl and Kutcher fail to ignite any convincing chemistry, an admittedly difficult proposition anyway given Kutcher’s smirking blandness. A purported action comedy, Killers is DOA. Not recommended. (S. Granger)
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Marmaduke  Fox, 87 min., PG, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, Aug. 31 
Based on the popular single-panel newspaper cartoon created by Brad Anderson and Phil Leeming, this live-action, kid-centric comedy centers on the titular galumphing Great Dane and his hapless human family. The story begins as workaholic advertising exec Phil Winslow (Lee Pace), his wife (Judy Greer), and their three children move from |
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Survival of the Dead  Magnolia, 90 min., R, DVD: $26.98, Blu-ray: $29.98, Aug. 24 
George A. Romero’s sixth zombie movie in the series he launched in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead finds Sarge Crocket (Alan Van Sprang), the leader of a ragtag bunch of post-apocalyptic military deserters (introduced in 2007’s Diary of the Dead), fleeing the ravenous undead. A video invitation for survivors to come to an island off the Delaware coast convinces him to lead his troupe in that direction. What Sarge doesn’t know, however, is that the invite was issued by the patriarch (Kenneth Welsh) of the O’Flynn family, who’s been expelled by the leader (Richard Fitzpatrick) of the rival Muldoons because of differences in approach to dealing with their local zombies (the O’Flynns favor execution; the Muldoons, rehabilitation). When a civil war between the clans is renewed, the newcomers are dragged into the quarrel and most of them bite the proverbial dust in a variety of bloody ways. Romero’s films have always carried a subtext with social commentary, so here the island serves as a microcosm of a world in which nations cherish their traditional enmities to an absurd extent. But for most viewers, the message will be less of a draw than the mayhem, which is pretty much nonstop and repetitive throughout. Although it boasts occasional suspenseful sequences, Survival of the Dead is still unlikely to appeal beyond Romero’s fan base. Optional. (F. Swietek)
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The Wind Journeys Film Movement, 120 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99 
From Colombian writer-director Ciro Guerra comes this fable-like tale of celebrated troubadour Ignacio Carrillo (Marciano Martínez), whose accordion—according to rumor—belonged to the devil, and young musician Fermin Morales (Yull Núñez), who wants to learn from the master, as he follows Ignacio through lush forests, arid deserts, and mountain villages. It’s a classic template: Ignacio, mourning the death of his wife, embarks on a quest to right an old wrong, along the way begrudgingly mentoring Fermin (who may, in fact, be his own son). The texture is stronger than the story in The Wind Journeys, which features dueling instruments, community concerts, and grudge fights in a hardscrabble peasant world, where master musicians receive the respect of shamans, and superstition and sorcery are part of everyday life. Slow and contemplative, the film won’t suit all tastes, but it features beautiful landscapes, an interesting look at agrarian lifestyles, and a unique musical culture (from a rural rap battle with players improvising rhyming insults to a dynamic drum ceremony). A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
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The Square Sony, 106 min., R, DVD: $24.98, Blu-ray: $30.95, Aug. 24 
This Australian noir directed by Nash Edgerton and co-written by his brother Joel takes viewers on an amusingly convoluted ride centering on Ray (David Roberts), a construction foreman having an affair with Carla (Claire van der Boom), a younger neighbor married to a shady character named Smithy (Anthony Hayes). When Carla discovers that her husband has hidden cash in their attic crawlspace, she suggests to Ray that they take the money and run, setting the house afire to convince hubby that the cash burned up in the blaze. Of course, in the time-honored fashion of this particular genre, the plan goes disastrously wrong. Not only does someone unexpectedly die in the conflagration, but Ray begins to receive blackmail messages, and he winds up trying to conceal a corpse beneath the foundation of a house he’s building—if the rainy weather will ever allow the concrete to be poured. The more complex the plot grows, the more implausible the story becomes, but strict realism and logic have never been key to this kind of film, and for the most part The Square moves along at sufficient speed to conceal any narrative loopholes. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (30 min.), deleted scenes (25 min.), director Nash Edgerton’s 2007 short film “Spider” (10 min.), “Pre-Visualizations” segments (5 min.), three scene deconstructions (5 min.), the music video “Sand” by Jessica Chapnik, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an entertaining modern noir.] (F. Swietek)
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City Island Anchor Bay, 104 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $34.99, Aug. 24 
In this sprawling comedy, corrections officer Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) brings a hunky paroled inmate named Tony Nardella (Steven Strait) to his Italian-American family home in the Bronx’s City Island community, ostensibly to do some work on the house. But Tony may, in fact, be the illegitimate son Vince sired long before his marriage to Joyce (Julianna Margulies), who knows nothing about this connection. Vince has another secret: while he says he’s playing poker, he’s actually taking acting classes in |
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Furry Vengeance  Summit, 92 min., PG, DVD: $22.99, Aug. 17 
Essentially a live-action cartoon pitting woodland critters against intrusive humans, Furry Vengeance stars Brendan Fraser (going the full slapstick route) as Dan Sanders, a nicer version of Elmer Fudd. An executive in a building firm, Dan has relocated his family—wife Tammy (Brooke Shields) and teenage son Tyler (Matt Prokop)—to a secluded site in |
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Jermal IndiePix, 88 min., in Indonesian w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99, May 11 
The title of this Indonesian film refers to the fishing platform--raised on stilts in the Straits of Malacca off Sumatra--where boys from impoverished families toil as slaves to Johar (Didi Petet), the burly guy who oversees the fishing operation (although very little work ever seems to get done). One day a new worker is delivered—a studious 12-year-old named Jaya (Iqbal S. Manurung), who lost his mother and turns out to be the unbeknownst son of Johar. Jaya suffers considerable bullying at the hands of the other youngsters, while Johar is determined to win him over and take him back to the mainland, even though it might lead to his own arrest for killing his wife’s lover over a decade earlier. Meant to be both gritty and touching, Jermal--directed by Ravi L. Bharwani with co-directors Rayya Makarim and Orlow Seunke--never achieves much emotional power, not only because the production is rather ragged but also because the performances are mostly bland. While intriguing for being an example of filmmaking from a country not much represented internationally, this is strictly optional. (F. Swietek)
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The Joneses Fox, 96 min., R, DVD: $22.99, Blu-ray: $29.99, Aug. 10 
Filmmaker Derrick Borte takes “keeping up with the Joneses” to a new level in this film starring David Duchovny and Demi Moore as Steve and Kate Jones, who arrive at their new suburban McMansion with their attractive teenage children (Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth) in tow. The Ethan Allen furniture delivery vans have just departed, and every lavish décor detail is in place. “We’re going to do some serious damage here,” Steve observes, as the four start showing off their top-of-the-line electronic gadgets, shiny cars, sports equipment, designer clothing, and dazzling jewelry to their awed neighbors. But the Joneses aren’t who they appear to be; in fact they’re not even a family, but rather a carefully coordinated sales unit with ambitious, conniving Kate as boss. As outlined by their handler (Lauren Hutton), the Joneses’ mission is simple: “We’re making a match between great products and the people who love them … You’re here to sell a lifestyle, an attitude—if they like you, they’ll like what you have.” While stealth marketing is a clever story concept, director Borte seems more interested in product placement than consumer conformity satire, let alone development of a believable narrative arc for the shallow characters. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (5 min.). Bottom line: a paltry extras package for a thin satire.] (S. Granger)
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