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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Film Today in DVD Releases

Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 12:05 PM

There's not a whole lot out on DVD today. The big release is Slumdog Millionaire. At the time of its release, Lindy West really liked it:

The film is exhilarating and gorgeous and contains the most sublime use of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" (not sick of it yet!) through which you've ever had the pleasure of whooshing. Little skinny-limbed boys navigate treachery and temptation and mountains of garbage, seas of garbage—their corner of Mumbai is all lurid colors and postapocalyptic beauty.

I think most people really liked it, but many people didn't think it was worthy of the Best Picture Oscar. I like to think Danny Boyle's Oscar for directing was actually for Sunshine, just a couple years late.

In other major studio releases, Marley & Me and Seven Pounds are out on DVD today. Charles did not like Will Smith's drama-with-a-(reportedly)-dumb-twist:

But to those who do watch Seven Pounds and see its shocking "revelation," I want to offer this reading or decoding of its narrative: The movie is about the death of the black male.

Two critically lauded foreign films are out today. Tell No One was loved by Jon Frosch

This has been a particularly crappy summer movie season, so it's no surprise that critics are rolling out the hosannas for young French actor-director Guillaume Canet's Tell No One. But this time, they're at least somewhat justified: Canet's adaptation of an American mystery novel by Harlan Coben is more atmospheric, smartly paced, and affecting than any homegrown version would have been.

and Charles Mudede says "It’s a fun movie from start to finish." I really enjoyed Timecrimes, the Spanish time-travel thriller, when it came to SIFF last year. I hear they're doing an American remake of this, so watch this version before Tom Cruise (or whoever) fucks it up.

What I'm most excited for is the release of Ricky Gervais: Out of England, his HBO stand-up comedy special. I love Ricky Gervais so much, I even watched last year's Ghost Dentist, or what the fuck ever that awful movie about the dentist who could see ghosts was called.

Other releases include The IT Crowd: Season 1, Hope & Faith: Season 1, and The Butterfly Effect 3: Ashton-Free Since 2005.

A good, complete list of DVD releases can be found here.

Comments (17) RSS

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Is it tomorrow or Friday that Cthulhu comes out on DVD?

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 31, 2009 at 12:10 PM

Although pretty much every movie I saw last year was only so-so, the best is probably "W." Any movie that can make me feel sorry for that reject has accomplished something extraordinary.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on March 31, 2009 at 12:19 PM

"being black" is like a religion for Charles and it is getting pretty boring

Posted by get over your black shit on March 31, 2009 at 12:28 PM

Brit-com lovers should check out The IT Crowd. It takes a little bit of time to appreciate the characters, but it's very funny once you get into it.

Posted by JC on March 31, 2009 at 12:35 PM

good advice.

As to Paper Planes, I'm not sure - is she selling MJ, sex, or what?

Oh, come on, like you don't actually listen to the lyrics and notice everyone gets something wrapped in foil while the register records $0.00 in sales ...

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 31, 2009 at 12:48 PM

Sunshine was two thirds of a brilliant movie. The last act was shit. It had the potential to be the best outerspace movie since Alien, but then Freddy Kruger shows up and it becomes an exercise in WTF? Seriously?
It could have been so much better.
But I agree that it was very well directed.

Posted by ak47 on March 31, 2009 at 12:49 PM

@6. Exactly what I was going to say. I had such high hopes until meltyfaceman came into the picture. Cop out ending.

Posted by jewritto on March 31, 2009 at 12:56 PM

@6 Really?! It was basically a "Name That Movie Reference" mash-up movie from the start. Oh, there's Mission to Mars. Oh, there's Alien. Oops, Event Horizon?!

It was well directed, but not a GOOD movie at all. On the other hand, I enjoyed it on the same level I enjoyed Doomsday, the post-apocalypse mash-up movie.

On the other hand, I like to think it was a belated Oscar for either Trainspotting, Millions, or Shallow Grave. And, Slumdog Millionaire so fucking deserved it.

Posted by TheMisanthrope on March 31, 2009 at 1:06 PM

#3: Dan writes about being gay, ECB writes about being a woman, Jonah writes about being a heterosexual dude, BJC writes about being fat, everyone else writes about being white... why do you only have a problem with Charles writing about being black?

Posted by rhetorical question on March 31, 2009 at 1:27 PM

There's a Butterfly Effect 3? I didn't even know there was a Butterfly Effect 2. I have a funny feeling I didn't miss much, though.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on March 31, 2009 at 1:31 PM

A cheesy feel-good film gets best picture? I guess that's telling of what people need in our current state of affairs.

Posted by charlie k on March 31, 2009 at 1:33 PM

Frozen Lake is a good movie too. Not sure if it's out on DVD or not - will be soon if not.

Slumdog deserved it, if nothing else for being original.

Posted by irl on March 31, 2009 at 1:38 PM

I believe it's actually Cronenberg that's going to remake "Timecrimes". Which is a better prospect than usual, but man that guy needs to start writing his own stuff again.

Also, "Sunshine" is Boyle's best by far.

Posted by levide on March 31, 2009 at 1:38 PM

I still prefer the origianal Spanish "Timecrimes".

Good combination of SF and Horror.

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 31, 2009 at 2:11 PM

If you're a Gervais fan, go on amazon.co.uk and pick up his three excellent stand-up comedy DVDs. The HBO special was like the Reader's Digest version of the first two--not bad, but not quite a greatest hits. He chose the stuff that translated best for a broader audience, which means a lot (a LOT) of the subtle stuff didn't make it. The extras alone justify the purchase of the UK DVDs.

Posted by eric (the other one) on March 31, 2009 at 2:13 PM

Sunshine: promoting the tried and true hollywood theory that Nuclear Weapons are the key to EVERYTHING:

http://theslackerz.com/index.php?nav=Com…

Posted by j.lee on March 31, 2009 at 3:11 PM

Loved "Sunshine," loved "Slumdog."

"Sunshine" postulates that the sun is the original and ultimate god in the human psyche, the irresistable wellspring of all that is spiritual. If the crew had lived longer, they all would have gone mental.

I'm not sure I buy it, but it's thrilling to have the idea put out there, and in such a cinemagraphically beautiful way.

Posted by Big Sven on March 31, 2009 at 7:02 PM