Friday, February 26, 2016

Flick Picks 2/26/2016: Spotlight, Fargo Season Two

On the verge of the Academy Awards, this week's new releases on DVD are highlighted by one of the contenders for Best Picture.  And a very worthy contender Spotlight is.  With new series, its a matter of the darkly comic and the just plain dark.  Never fear, Sarah Silverman is here!  And you probably know how funny she is.  Well, actually,...Ms. Silverman plays it very straight as a troubled wife and mother in I Smile Back, a performance that has won the comedienne considerable acclaim.  Quality we have this week.  Laughs, not so much.  If you need a little escapist fun, there's always the red carpet at the Oscars....         



Feature Films




Arguably the best American film of 2015, Spotlight takes its name from the special investigative unit of the Boston Globe that in 2002 broke the story of widespread and long-occurring abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy.  With material that would lend itself to operatic treatment (see Martin Scorcese), writer/director Todd McCarthy instead handles this big story like a precise, rending piece of chamber music.  The players in this case are an impressive ensemble, filling out the major roles (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, Rachel McAdams) as well as the minor.  For all its journalistic procedure and general restraint, Spotlight's story is no less powerful.

With Spotlight, Tom McCarthy is finally receiving major recognition and some measure of mainstream success.  Aside from his work as an actor (Law and Order, The Wire, Good Night And Good Luck), he's been making excellent character-driven films for more than a decade.  Check out earlier examples of writer/director's work, generally lighter in tone than the outstanding Spotlight.











Also new:  Comedienne Sarah Silverman has won raves for her decidedly dramatic turn in I SMILE BACK, playing a wife and mother struggling with mental illness and addiction.



Series




Based on the 1996 film of the same name by the Coen Brothers (who serve as executive producers), Fargo is back.  But true to the anthology, decade-jumping format of the series, we have an entirely new cast and time setting.  Season two is set in 1979 with another excellent ensemble, including Patrick Wilson (pictured), Kirsten Dunst, Kieran Culkin and Ted Danson.  What hasn't changed is the almost universal acclaim for this black comedy. 




 This 2014 British miniseries is based on the actual life and crimes of Englishman Malcolm Webster.   




This delightfully creepy Fox series features yet another impressive cast, headed by Matt Dillon as a Secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two of his fellow agents in the mysterious small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho.  Carla Gugino, Toby Jones, Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo and Terence Howard also star.  







Foreign Films


Lastly, a vintage addition to our foreign film collection.  This little-known Italian classic has been reissued by Criterion, with all the great extra features typical of the series.  From the Criterion Collection summary:  

Following the gorgeous, seemingly liberated Adriana (Divorce Italian Style’s Stefania Sandrelli) as she chases her dreams in the Rome of La dolce vita, I Knew Her Well is at once a delightful immersion in the popular music and style of Italy in the sixties and a biting critique of its sexual politics and the culture of celebrity. Over a series of intimate episodes, just about every one featuring a different man, a new hairstyle, and an outfit to match, the unsung Italian master Antonio Pietrangeli, working from a script he cowrote with Ettore Scola, composes a deft, seriocomic character study that never strays from its complicated central figure. I Knew Her Well is a thrilling rediscovery, by turns funny, tragic, and altogether jaw-dropping.


Also new:  DIFRET



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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Flick Picks 2/18/2016: Steve Jobs, Trumbo, Black Mass,

New releases on DVD this week are led by some formidable characters - a crime boss, a grandmother...and that Apple guy.  To contrast that age and hard-won life experience, we have a couple of recent French films more concerned with coming of age.  Among the new arrivals in series DVDs is season three of the popular Silk.

Feature Films


The second biopic of Apple mastermind Steven Jobs, this one based on the best-selling biography of the same title by Walter Isaacson, has arrived on DVD.  And if you're going to watch only one film about the brilliant, mercurial Jobs, perhaps you want to see the one starring Michael Fassbender (Sorry, Ashton Kutcher fans).  Kate Winslet continues to garner acclaim for he portrayal of Jobs' confidant, Joanna Hoffman.      






Speaking of acclaim, Bryan Cranston has accumulated a number of best actor nods for his performance as the once blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.  Helen Mirren stars as one of Trumbo's main nemeses, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.  




It seems that Johnny Depp must always get into character.  Really into character.  You know - those pirate outfits, something of a debonair wolf (Into The Woods), going decidedly goth in Dark Shadows.  And then, of course, his role as Tonto in The Lone Ranger - the less said there, the better.  Depp's shape, wig and makeup shifting is done to good end in Black Mass, a very solid crime thriller about the notorious Boston crime boss James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger.  More strange than the unnaturally receding hairline is Depp's usually brown eyes gleaming malevolent blue in Black Mass.  The always watchable Joel Edgerton co-stars as the FBI agent who unwisely uses Bulger as an informant.      


Among the major snubs in this year's Academy Awards nominations is Lily Tomlin for her fierce, deeply-felt performance in Grandma.  Tomlin plays a poet in the painful aftermath of a relationship breakup when her granddaughter arrives, in need of $600.  Since Grandma lacks the money, the two head out on an odyssey to find the money.  As you might expect, a few feathers are ruffled along the way.  Despite the obvious contrivances of plot here, what's particularly refreshing is the main character's sexual orientation, her age and even the reason for which the money is required - all potentially the stuff of cheap melodrama - simply are the case.  This particular Grandma is a character almost unprecedented in film history, brought fully to life by Lily Tomlin


Series



Right on the heels of season two comes the third and final season of this popular BBC drama about the lives of barristers in the Shoe Lane Chambers.


TOGETHERNESS


This HBO series is a comedy-drama affair from the Duplass brothers.   It's about relationships, family, careers....you know, life.  Look for the ever-charming Mary Steenburgen as the free-spirited friend of the series main character, Brett Pierson (Mark Duplass).


PEAKY BLINDERS, SEASON 2


The magnetic Cillian Murphy stars as boss of the Peaky Blinders gang in this BBC series based on the exploits of the actual criminal gang that was based in Birmingham, England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Also new:  GIRLS SEASON FOUR, THE TRIALS OF JIMMY ROSE, SATISFACTION




Foreign Film

Lastly we have two recent DVD arrivals in French, one from France, the other from Canada.  Both could be termed coming of age films and both involve relationships between young women.  Actress and director Melanie Laurent's Breathe is the more dramatic of the two films.  While some of the markers of plot - the alluring and troubled newcomer and the more conventional good girl, not to mention school assignments which always manage to perfectly reflect the action of the film - are common enough, Laurent is obviously a perceptive director with a good eye.  And she gets very committed performances from her young leads.  Writer/director Stephane Lafleur's Tu Dors Nicole (You're Sleeping Nicole), offers a much more lighthearted take on that limbo of youth between high school and finding a place in the world.  If you enjoy films that are as much about character and mood as plot, check out the sweet, sometimes absurd Tu Dors Nicole.








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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Flick Picks February 9: Bridge of Spies, Spectre, Suffragette

You want blockbusters?  We've got blockbusters.  Something smaller, more character-driven?  Maybe  a good indie film?  We've got those too.  And as the mercury settles to a more typical winter level, you might want to check out out a good series and hold out until spring...or at least until we see the right side of the freezing mark.




Feature Films



The critically-acclaimed Bridge of Spies is the fourth collaboration between actor Tom Hanks director Steven Spielberg.  Nominated for best picture at the upcoming Academy Awards, Bridge of Spies is based on actual events.  Hanks plays the lawyer picked to negotiate the swap of U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.





Ah, cue that familiar theme music.  Bond is back in the person of Daniel Craig.  007 has it out once and for all with the mysterious, villainous agency that has been haunting him and his comrades for several films now - Spectre.  Craig, as ever, plays the secret agent with wit, feeling and just the right level of arrogance.  Does the film's conclusion signal Craig's departure from the franchise?  Watch for yourself and decide.




Not in the mood for boys being boys?  Consider this British historical drama, set in the dark age before women had the right to vote in England and elsewhere.  The always-engaging Carey Mulligan plays a laundress drawn into the cause of the suffragettes.  She heads an excellent cast that includes Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep and Brendan Gleeson.  






Romantic comedies - remember those?  Sure, they do come down the pike now and again, but the viewing of such films can leave the feeling of having cheated on one's brain.  From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Man Up offers you the rare opportunity to have your romantic comedy without regretting it in the morning.  Simon Pegg plays a man who mistakes Lake Bell for his blind date.  She fails to disabuse him of the mistake and we're off on an evening of first date awkwardness and breakthrough, baggage both humorous and bitter and, yes, romance.  Man Up is certainly a classic romantic comedy and wears its messy heart on its sleeve.  Like any romantic comedy, contrivances arise and are dispatched without regard to plausibility.  Aside from some good writing, Man Up separates itself from the pack of lesser films of the genre on the charm of stars Simon Pegg and Lake Bell.

If you prefer your comedy sans silly romance, check out IN A WORLD.  The same talented Lake Bell  wrote and directed this story about a performer trying to make her way in the male-dominated field of voice-over, one of the smartest comedies of recent years.








While the Big Short (due on DVD this spring) considers the lead-up to the 2008 world financial crisis essentially from the top down, Ramin Bahrani's 99 Homes examines ramifications of the disaster from ground level.  Andrew Garfield (the most recent Spider-Man) plays a young father who loses his job and home in short order.  His troubles cause him to cross paths with a very shady, charismatic real estate agent (Michael Shannon, great as usual).  The eager young man prospers quickly when he begins to work for the real estate agent, but at what cost?  








Series



Showing currently on PBS, Mercy Street is a medical drama set during the Civil War.  The series focuses on two volunteer nurses from opposing sides of the war who work at the Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia.  





Finally seeing a DVD release in the United States, Rev won the British Academy Television Award for best sitcom in 2011.   Tom Hollander (whom you might remember as a particularly droll Mr. Collins in the most recent film version of Pride and Prejudice), plays an Anglican priest presiding over a "socially disunited" parish in East London.  





This miniseries, broadcast on the Starz cable network, focuses on a ballet company trying to find a place among the world's great artistic institutions.  At the center of the drama is the classic story of up-and-coming performer versus fading star.  




The magnetic Oscar Isaac stars as former Yonkers mayor Nick Wasicsko in this very well reviewed HBO miniseries, based on the nonfiction book of the same title by Lisa Belkin.  The conflict at the center of Show Me a Hero is battle over the desegregation of public housing in Yonkers, which Wasicsko pushed through in compliance with a federal court order, after initially opposing as a candidate.  




This British crime miniseries concerns a policewoman, Jo Gillespie, whose detective husband is killed in the line of duty.  As she purses the investigation, Gillespie uncovers several dark truths about her husband, his colleagues and the criminals they were investigating.  



Also new:  DOCTOR WHO SEASON NINE - PART 2, THE CHURCHMEN SEASON ONE, 



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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Flick Picks Febuary 1: Everest, Diary of a Teenage Girl, Straight Outta Compton

Appropriate to a "leap" February, bulging with an extra day, we begin the month with a DVD roundup that offers dispatches from all corners of the world and the human spirit.  And good,  distracting t.v. series and films - we have those too.  


Feature Films



The Wikipedia page for Everest describes it as a "biographical adventure-climate disaster survival thriller drama."   Ho-hum:  just another entry in the old biographical-adventure-climate-survival-thriller-drama-genre.  Or very possibly, the first.  More clear is that Everest, based on real events, bulges with action and dizzying cinemtography as much as it teems with an excellent cast that includes Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Keira Knightly and Jake Gyllenhaal.  





Based on the graphic novel by Phoebe Gloeckner, Diary of a Teenage Girl is a frank, poignant and funny account of its heroine's coming of age, including a rather unconventional sexual awakening.  Maybe too frank for some, Diary of a Teenage Girl features a great performance by British newcomer Bel Powley as the story's heroine, Minnie Goetze.





One of the major film successes of 2015 both critically and financially (it became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time), Straight Outta Compton is the story of legendary hip hop group N.W.A.



Also new:  Spike Lee's latest, CHI-RAQ addresses violence in Chicago in a way that only Spike Lee can.  Bradley Cooper plays a troubled chef in BURNT.  Another coming-of-age story arrives, this time from Britain.  Asa Butterfield stars as a math prodigy who finds people much more mystifying than the most complex of equations in A BRILLIANT YOUNG MIND.


  




Series




Okay, Downton Abbey fans, this is it.  Even as it plays out on PBS, the sixth and final season of the enormously popular series has arrived in its entirety on DVD.  Will Lady Mary find love again?  For heaven's sake, will poor Lady Edith find a mate of her own who doesn't summarily get killed off?  Peace at last for Mr. and Mrs. Bates?  Reserve a copy today and find out.  




If you aren't familiar with the USA series Mr. Robot, it's high time you caught up.  Such was the quality of the filmed episodes that the second season was approved before any of the first season made it to the airwaves. Rami Malek stars as a somewhat troubled cybersecurity engineer recruited to join a group of hacktivists.  Dark, smart and quickly addictive, Mr. Robot is joining the ranks of the best series of the past decade.  


FJALLBACKA MURDERS, SET ONE and TWO


Based on the books by Camilla Lackberg, the Fjallbacka Murders is Swedish series whose main character moves to her hometown, which turns out to be more then the simple, picturesque village it appears to be a first glance.  Each set of Fjallbacka Murders sets consists of three 90-minute films.


Also new:  AGATHA CHRISTIE'S PARTNERS IN CRIME, HANNIBAL SEASON THREE, GIRLFRIENDS' GUIDE TO DIVORCE SEASON ONE, THE DOCTOR BLAKE MYSTERIES SEASON TWO.




Foreign Film
Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-Hsien won the Best Director award at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for this beautifully-realized martial arts film.  




Documentary/Nonfiction




Directed by siblings Geeta and Ravi Patel, Meet the Patels has been a crowd favorite at film festivals. The documentary deals the expectations and impatience of Geeta and Ravi's parents at their slow progress to marriage.  The parents, first-generation immigrants, are the product of an arranged marriage.




"A Brave Heart," chronicles the life and experiences of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Velasquez, from getting bullied in school and later online, to her multi-million-viewed TED talk, her work as a motivational speaker and as a lobbyist for the first federal anti-bullying bill.


Also new:  Meanwhile, at the other end of the human spectrum...THE BRIGHT ONE makes use of previously unavailable letters, photos and diaries to examine the life and mind of the architect of the Nazi's "Final Solution," Heinrich Himmler.


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