It's a busy release week on both DVD and Bluray as many dramas hit rental and store shelves. There's definitely something for everyone, with two very human dramas leading the fray, some family entertainment, excellent vampire thriller and Hollywood classics thrown in for good measure. Let's have a look, shall we?
Never Let Me Go (4 out of 5)
A moving and thought-provoking drama about missed chances and the concept of a disposable society, Mark Romanek's film takes a look at the lives of three young adults, Kathy H. (Carey Mulligan, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Tommy (Andrew Garfield, The Social Network) and Ruth (Keira Knightley, The Duchess), as they grow up to discover they are clones born to service their "double", normal human beings who may require a perfectly viable organ transplant later on in their own lives.
Though the film could easily have taken the science-fiction approach in explaining how these young beings are nothing more than walking organ banks, director Romanek instead works with screenwriter Alex Garland and novelist Kazuo Ishiguro in exploring the needs and wants of these otherwise perfectly innocent subjects who find themselves with the same yearnings as the rest of us, along with our pettiest faults, such as jealousy.
Told in flashbacks by Mulligan's character, the film begins in late 1970s England where a private boarding school called Hailsham houses young clones under the strict tutelage of Miss Emily (Charlotte Rampling, Babylon A.D. ). While at first none of the young wards know why they never get to leave the premises, their sad fate is eventually revealed by a horrified teacher (Sally Hawkins) who cannot bear to see them lead short lives without knowing the truth.
As the movie progresses, Kathy, Tommy and Ruth form a bond based on mutual support and the hope of extended life through rumored deferrals in hope some of them can find love and purpose before their organs are claimed one by one, eventually leading them to "completion" (i.e. clinical death).
Garfield, Mulligan and Knightly are exceptional in the lead roles, often ranging from envy to jealousy before switching to rage, as literal second-class citizens whose future is pre-destined, raising some valid points about bio-medical ethics, our own society's needs and the pursuit of pseudo immortality through any socially acceptable means.
Some may find the film a bit sad and depressing, but I can assure you that the story and its components are sure to trigger some worthwhile discussions, assuming you're watching this film with others.
Let Me In (3.5 out of 5)
At first glance I figured that an American remake of Tomas Alfredson's Swedish horror hit Let the Right One In would seem unnecessary, that is until I witnessed another great precocious performance by teen actress Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass, Diary of a Wimpy Kid ) as a young vampire who befriends a bullied teen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road) in the early 1980s.
Fans of the original will probably see most plot points coming a while away, so instead they should get what they can out of fine performances from Richard Jenkins (as young vampire Abby's caretaker/minion) and Moretz, again playing with a wisdom beyond her years. Sharp editing and an appropriate score help this film along. The film gets a bit bloody (she's a hungry vampire, no duh), so you may want to steer impressionable young ones away.
Conviction (3 out of 5)
Based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters, Conviction plays out like a cross between The Hurricane and CSI, as Hilary Swank plays a single mom hellbent on finding a way to exonerate her ne'er do well brother (Sam Rockwell, Iron Man 2) of murder charges in the early 1980s.
The film itself makes a strong argument in favor of advancing one's own education to serve one's purpose, though in this case it's shown in the extreme. As much as following Swank through years of research and discoveries in order to save a life could make for an otherwise strong film, the real strength of here is Rockwell's performance as Kenny Waters, a mouthy yet resilient lifer who may very well have given up, if not for the help of others.
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (3 out of 5)
Documentarian Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Casino Jack and the United States of Money) dives into the political scandal waters yet again, this time examining the events which led to the publicized involvement of former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer as a client of one of the Big Apple's top escort services, later leading to his disgraceful resignation
Fans of high impact docs such as this will enjoy Gibney's more objective approach, especially when compared to peers like Michael Moore and Errol Morris. Here, the filmmaker describes the major players (including Spitzer himself, along with targets Hank Greenberg, Joe Bruno and Roger Stone) while painting his titular subject as a faillible human being, letting us decide whether his many political enemies had anything to do with his unusually publicized downfall.
(Note: For a fully detailed assessment of the film, also read Suite 101 writer Dominic Von Riedemann's review of the film from last year's Toronto International Film Fest )
Welcome to the Rileys (2 out of 5)
James Gandolfini (TV's The Sopranos) plays an unhappy middle-aged businessman who decides to get his life in order following a dead-end affair and the death of his child. Along comes troubled teenage stripper Kristen Stewart, to whom Gandolfini offers to pay some rent in order to have some space to sort himself out. An uneasy rapport ensues.
The meandering family drama is largely hit and miss; while Gandolfini and Melissa Leo (The Fighter) manage fairly well in conveying their grief and eventual recovery, opting for the young Twilight star feels like stunt casting. If only her millions of fans were this movie's target demographic. Bonus points to Stewart for trying something new, even if it's a different riff on her usual passive aggressiveness.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (1 out of 5)
A shameless direct-to-DVD/Bluray sequel where a married couple of chihuahuas and their five chatty offsprings seek to help their human owners in their time of need...that is, when they're not too busy creating mayhem all over the house. A fun and zany family movie...if you're five years old. This film definitely falls within the Disney safezone, so no worries about seeing offensive material while you leave your kids alone to watch. Older viewers may find this a good time to go find out how much fun it is to watch paint dry.
TV ON DVD
This week has a very light offering of TV shows made available on home video. My only worthwhile recommendation for sci-fi/action buffs out there is Universal's Airwolf Season Four, where the once popular super-vehicle series got completely recast by the producers in a last-ditch attempt to keep the show going.
Barry Van Dyke (son of TV legend Dick Van Dyke) plays Jan Michael Vincent's presumed dead brother from the first three seasons, with his whereabouts being retconned for the show's needs. He is joined inside the cockpit by Forever Knight's Geraint Wyn Davies and AlienNation's Michelle Scarabelli.
For choosing an easy fix in trying to keep a dying franchise on life support, Airwolf Season Four gets a 2 out of 5. Despite the relatively unknown replacement cast, that mega chopper still rocks.
ALSO ON BLURAY
20th Century Fox releases two Hollywood classics featured on the AFI's 100 Greatest Movies, with Bette Davis' All About Eve (look for a very young Marilyn Monroe in a brief role) and Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr's An Affair to Remember. You'll recall that the latter figured prominently in its pseudo remake, the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom com Sleepless in Seattle. Now's your chance to watch the original film in brilliantly remastered sound and picture. Note that All About Eve is shown in its original 1.37:1 ratio.
Both these classics earn an awesome 5 out of 5, and should be seen by any serious film buff.
Finally, Universal issues a high-def version of Ray (4.5 out of 5), starring Jamie Foxx in his Oscar-winning role as the late great singer-composer Ray Charles. Such a musically charged film benefits from an excellent 5.1 audio transfer, allowing you to tap your foot to all of the great hits heard on screen.
Dominic Messier - Dominic Messier is a Toronto-based Film & TV writer, Sci-Fi TV and Film Dramas Topic Editor, and creator of PopCultureLandscape.com
