As a blu-ray reviewer, I often find myself looking at a list of releases which range from the overly dramatic, to the schlocky, to the downright over commercialized.
Such is the luck of the draw, especially when studios scramble to find a proper, albeit arbitrary release window for their titles, especially in a weak month like February.
And so, as is the case this week, we find ourselves with a Sundance sleeper hit which manages to distinguish itself from the competitors, while the remaining films share a measure of both good and bad aspects, the likes of which will leave you to decide what you're in the mood for. Be warned, I offer the following, with full disclosure that all of them have some room for improvement.
Martha Marcy May Marlene (3.5 out of 5)
Elizabeth Olsen, a promising young actress who bears a striking resemblance to her older twin sisters (aka Mary Kate and Ashley), plays the title character, a young woman who's been missing from her closest family members, having been absorbed into a mysterious cult in Northern New York State, under the thrall of a manipulative leader (John Hawkes, Winter's Bone).
One day, Martha's older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) gets a phone call from her estranged sibling, stating that she's stranded and needs help. Without fail, Lucy locates Martha and brings her home, hoping to help her find some semblance of normalcy, after unimaginable torment at the hands of psychologically questionable "friends".
While a simple rescue of the sort might seem like an easy task, Lucy soon realizes that her young sister has a lot to deal with, and may not be out of the woods yet, both mentally and emotionally. This struggle with paranoia, fear and a roller coaster of other powerful feelings forms the basis of this pretty good psychological drama.
The good to be found here lies in the actors' performances, namely Olsen as Martha and John Hawkes as cult leader Patrick. Hawkes is an incredible, underrated actor who for a long time was limited to bit parts and supporting roles, until his Oscar-nominated turn as Teardrop in the excellent Winter's Bone. In this film he is just as mesmerizing, though he plays a much more malignant character, one who shows us exactly how toxic a cult-like environment can be for the gullible and emotionally weak.
The greatest surprise, though, is Elizabeth Olsen. Given that this is her first film role, I can only hope that this is the promise of more great work to come. Her textured performance as Martha is so palpable and believable that you'll find yourself going over her scenes in your head, long after the film is over.
The one problem I have with the film is the lackadaisical script, one which only gets saved by the actors' above par acting skills. I get the feeling director Sean Durkin may have tried on too many hats when he also decided to write this movie. I can appreciate the laurels he's been showered with this past awards season, all the same the movie does have some rough bits which could have used a bit more polish.
Fans of the film will enjoy the sole feature of note on the film, that of the short film by Durkin, on which this full feature is based on.
Puss in Boots (3 out of 5)
Antonio Banderas finally gets his chance in the animated spotlight, bringing back everyone's favorite secondary character from the Shrek film franchise. In this prequel of sorts (the film takes place before our feline swashbuckler hero meets Shrek and Donkey in Shrek 2), Puss is on the trail of magical beans currently in the hands of Jack and Jill (voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris), which can lead Puss to a magical castle up in the clouds, with the help of master planner Humpty Dumpty (Voice of Zach Galifianakis). Along the way they also befriend feline thief Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek).
Banderas knocks it out of the park once again, while Galifianakis gets irritating very quickly as Dumpty. Much of the success and humor of this film lies in the details, like the franchise which spawned it. That said, I think this is a much funnier product. I can only hope for a sequel. It's not surprising to discover this film is a promising contender at the Oscars for Best Animated Feature.
Tower Heist (3 out of 5)
An ensemble comedy with promise, this otherwise forgettable flick about a group of various employees and members of a luxury building decide to band together, when they learn that the Madoff-type man who just screwed them out of their life savings happens to live in their building's penthouse apartment. A seemingly foolproof plan/group effort to rob him of a stashed loot of 20 million bucks shortly follows.
The movie is rich in Ben Stiller moments (he plays the highrise's concierge), and could have used much more in terms of Eddie Murphy content (he's back, this time not playing a cartoon donkey for once), all in all this latest film by Brett Ratner (his first in almost half a decade) goes for the cheap laughs, but gives very little material to the rest of the supporting cast (Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, Gabourey Sidibe and Michael Pena), resulting in an uneven comedy. A pity.
J. Edgar (2.5 out of 5)
Veteran star and director Clint Eastwood explores the life and career of mysterious FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, warts an all, from his beginnings as an ambitious member of the Justice Department, all the way through his career as top man at the Bureau.
Kudos to Clint Eastwood and writer Dustin Lance Black in approaching the issue of Hoover's reported closeted homosexuality head on, and for providing a pretty rich and solid back story with which to inform viewers about the title character.
Alas, the main problem here lies in the catastrophic casting of Leonard DiCaprio as Hoover. Try as he may, even at his best of moments in the film, he never fails to appear as anything more than a young actor in unconvincing aging prosthetic makeup. As for the bulk of his performance, the whole deal felt like an awards grab, a real shame considering the effort put forth by Eastwood.
Oh, and in case you're into the high tech thing, the blu-ray disc set comes with access to the film's Ultraviolet copy, which lets you access it pretty much in every way. Look it up, kinda neat product option by Warner.
London Boulevard (2 out of 5)
A pretty decent lineup of British actors populate this otherwise terrible faux thriller about a bad boy (Colin Farrell, trying really hard here) who gets paroled and soon gets involved with a mildly eccentric reclusive actress (Keira Knightly) who hires him on a bodyguard.
I could tell you about a subplot to rob her blind, an effort brought forth by Farrell's no good former associates (Ben Chaplin and Lee Evans, among others), and the involvement of a loan shark (Ray Winstone) in the picture, but I'd be wasting my time. This is the kind of mess you get when you give a successful screenwriter (William Monahan) too much power and offer him the director's chair. Watch this one, but only if there's nothing left on the rental shelf.
Fireflies in the Garden (2 out of 5)
Overly heavy on flashbacks peppered throughout, this 2008 tedious bore of a melodrama sat unreleased in North America for this long, and it immediately shows as to why. Despite a who's who of actors playing each other in past and present tense (I give you Ryan Reynolds, Emily Watson, Hayden Pannetiere, Camden Boyd, Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, etc...), the film tries too hard to grasp at the audience's emotional chords, resulting in a depressing mess. Surprising, given the caliber of some of these lauded actors.
This movie truly brings the funk to dysfunctional family drama. Brace yourselves.
The Son of No One (1 out of 5)
I shouldn't have been surprised at just how bad this film would be, given that musclehead Channing Tatum (Yes! From that other excellent emotional powerhouse, GIJoe: The Rise of Cobra) gets top billing, over such luminaries as Al Pacino, Ray Liotta, Juliette Binoche, and lesser names like Tracy Morgan and Katie Holmes, but all the same the lack of cohesive story is what drives the stake right through this film's heart, a rudderless drama about a police cover-up which goes back a generation.
Once you sample about 20-30 minutes of this film, you'll ask yourself how desperate some of these actors were for a quick payday, when deciding to star in this cinematic turnip. But hey, if you're into Pacino, give it a go, but remember I warned you beforehand.
Also on Blu-Ray This Week
The sole release of note this week, ironically given that it also saw the release of Eastwood's J. Edgar, is that of the director's unforgettable Oscar-winning Best Picture winner Unforgiven, which gets a royally worthy treatment by the boys over at Warner Home Video. Pristine picture quality, excellent sound, an all around great get. The special features are the same as most content previously seen on DVD, but the blu-ray release also acts as a 54-page booklet paying tribute to this modern-day classic.
Dominic Messier - Dominic Messier is a Toronto-based Film & TV writer, Sci-Fi TV and Film Dramas Topic Editor, and creator of PopCultureLandscape.com
