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

STEVE JOBS

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.      

TRUMBO

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.  

BLACK MASS

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.      

GRANDMA

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

SILK, SEASON THREE

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.

TU DORS NICOLE

BREATHE

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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

BRIDGE OF SPIES

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.

SPECTRE

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.

SUFFRAGETTE

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.  

MAN UP

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.

99 HOMES

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?  

Also new:  WAR ROOM, MEADOWLAND, TRUTH, FREEHELD, ROCK THE KASBAH, OUR BRAND IS CRISIS, LOVE THE COOPERS

Series

MERCY STREET

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.  

 REV. SEASON ONE

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.  

FLESH AND BONE SEASON ONE

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.  

SHOW ME A HERO

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.  

BLACK WORK

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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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

EVEREST

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.  

DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL

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.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

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

DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON SIX

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.  

MR. ROBOT, SEASON ONE

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

ASSASSIN

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

MEET THE PATELS

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:  THE LIZZIE VELASQUEZ STORY

"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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Flick Picks January 20, 2016: The Martian, The Intern, Learning to Drive

This January roundup of Flick Picks offers you the world.  Multiple worlds in fact.  We have any Oscar favorite and at least a couple of Oscar snubs.  Patricia Clarkson wants to learn to drive.  Matt Damon just wants to get home.  Martin Freeman sports a funny mustache, while Mark Ruffalo really needs to stay on his meds.  Read on.

Feature Films

THE MARTIAN

78-year-old Ridley Scott show no signs of slowing down.  The veteran director brings us another big story with The Martian.  Matt Damon plays an astronaut assumed dead on Mars and left behind by his crew.  And yet, emerging from the red dust is none other than botanist Mark Watney (Damon).  How can he survive until help arrives?  Watch and find out.  We have The Martian in regular DVD and Blu-ray.

UNCLE JOHN

Amid a number of Hollywood studio pictures comes this excellent independent film from 2015, starring John Ashton (best known as the gruff partner of Judge Reinhold in the Beverly Hills Cop films).  Ashton plays a well-respected carpenter in a small Wisconsin town who kills a local bully, covers up the crime and then tries to live with what he's done.  The latter is made more difficult by the menacing brother of the deceased, who suspects him.  Meanwhile, Ben, the nephew he raised, goes about his life in Chicago.  When Ben makes an unexpected visit with a female friend, all the the lives intersect in difficult to anticipate ways.  Uncle John is an example of smart, subtle and tense (and not without its moments of comedy) storytelling.  In a better world, the veteran Ashton might be up for Beast Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Also new:  Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway star in THE INTERN.  Patricia Clarkson is a recent divorcee trying to become more self-sufficient.  Ben Kingsley plays the Sikh driving instructor who gives her road and life lessons in LEARNING TO DRIVE.  Joaquin Phoenix is the latest stand-in for director Wood Allen in IRRATIONAL MAN.  Lastly, Mark Ruffalo plays a father trying to cope with his mental illness and raise two daughters in Boston while their mother works in New York.   INFINITELY POLAR BEAR is rather quirkier, even funnier at times than it sounds.

                                                           

Series

SHERLOCK:  THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE

This special episode of the popular BBC/PBS series has Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in Victorian London for the first time.  Hence, the funny hats and the veritable rodent of a mustache atop Watson's upper lip.  

LUTHER, SEASON FOUR

The excellent Idris Elba (some would say overlooked by Oscar for his work in the film Beasts of No Nation) stars in the fourth season of this British crime series. 

BROAD CITY, SEASONS ONE AND  TWO

This charming Comedy Central series stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson as two twenty-somethings making their way in New York.  Look for lots of cameos from the likes of Amy Poehler, Amy Sedaris and Fred Armisen.

Also new:  AGENTS OF SHIELD, SEASON TWO

Classics

THE AMERICAN FRIEND

Loosely based on the novel Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith (who initially rejected the film but was won over on second viewing), The American Friend finds director Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) in noir mode.  Dennis Hopper plays career criminal Tom Ripley, who convinces terminally ill picture framer Bruno Ganz (later the star of Wings of Desire) to join him in his illegal enterprises.  A great mood film.  

Foreign

THE SECOND MOTHER

This critically-acclaimed Brazilian drama concerns a maid for an affluent Sao Paulo family who had left her daughter behind years earlier to be raised by relatives.  When the daughter arrives to stay with her mother to take college entrance exams, thorny issues emerge.  The Second Mother mixes comedy and drama while addressing economic disparities between its rural and urban regions.

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Flick Picks January 7, 2015: Sicario, The Walk, True Detective

The first wave of new releases for 2016 is highlighted by two excellent dramas from 2015 and the second season of HBO's True Detective.

Feature Films

SICARIO

Sadly, the canon of films on drug trafficking and its attendant (if ineffectual) law enforcement grows as the problem stretches across decades.  The good news is that Sicario is a good addition to this genre and a good film period.  The versatile Emily Blunt plays a tough but somewhat idealistic FBI agent, assigned to a mysterious task force headed by Josh Brolin.  As with Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, the always excellent Benicio Del Toro is also present.  

THE WALK

Robert Zemeckis' film about the amazing high wire demonstration of Phillippe Petit between the newly-completed towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 has received good reviews, especially for its dizzying special effects.  You might grab your armrest as the film gains momentum and Petit ventures forth on that wire.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as the French aerialist.  

MAN ON WIRE

If you're interested in the story of Philippe Petit and have not yet seen James Marsh's documentary on the subject, you simply must do so.  MAN ON WIRE was a very justifiable winner of Best Documentary Feature at the 2009 Academy Awards. 

EXPERIMENTER

Experimenter is the second film of 2015, along with THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT, to deal with notorious experiments that involved supervised mistreatment of people.  Michael Almereyda's Experimenter, which takes a slightly more whimsical approach than its predecessor, deals with the 1961 Milgram experiment, in which electric shocks of increasing strength were delivered to helpless subjects by normal people, who virtually always, if reluctantly, inflicted the jolts of electricity when instructed to do so.  Fascinating as ever, Peter Sarsgaard stars as Yale social psychologist Stanley Milgram.  

Also new:  Alison Brie (Community, Mad Men) and Jason Sudeikis star in the sex comedy,  SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE.  Keanu Reeves portrays as a man whose decision to open his door to two strange women backfires in a major way in KNOCK KNOCK.  There's more dystopian fun to be had in MAZE RUNNER SCORCH TRIALS, the second installment of films based on the popular young adult books by James Dashner.  Lastly, THE VISIT takes us to a place of nearly unimaginable horror:  the grandparents' house.    

 

   

Series

TRUE DETECTIVE, SEASON TWO

The popular HBO series True Detective continues into its second season.  Rachel McAdams, Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn star.  

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