Just under the wire.
We’ve got a light bunch this week, but cinegeeks are in a treat with a BBC series starring The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln, the latest from Spike Jonze and the last season of Danny McBride’s Kenny F*cking Powers saga.
Fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart. It’s that time of the week.
Her
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| Warner Bros. / Released |
Set in Los Angeles in the slight future, Her follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice (Scarlett Johansson) who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. Extras include short film and featurettes.
Last Word: In Her, Spike Jonze executes an incredible (and new) love story based around the evolution of computer technology. Operating systems are completely fluid extensions of human beings. No buttons, no wires, just vocal communication and touch-screens. People walk around looking as though they are talking to themselves but they are connected online with ear-buds. Everyone is together but disconnected. Her is a complex perspective on the inevitable trends of digital communication.
It’s difficult to create a film that exists in the near future. You can’t fall back on standard sci-fi tropes like metallic jump suits, aliens, or luxury trips to the moon. In Her, the future shows the logical extension of current trends in computer technology. It is so palpable as to inspire product envy in the viewer. The newest creation is an artificial intelligent operating system, named simply OS 1. There is no desktop, no keyboard, and no mouse. The OS compiles data from a human user in just a few questions and produces an ideal companion, friendly or romantic, depending on what it believes it’s human counterpart needs.
Joaquin Phoenix is (for the most part) the solo star of this film as Theodore Twombly. He works at beautifullyhandwrittenloveletters.com where he composes intimate letters for strangers from photographs and tidbits they send. He writes the most personal notes but his clients are complete strangers. Theodore is a complex and heartbreaking character. He is filled with so much emotion and compassion, but it only shines through the words he writes for others. Joaquin Phoenix balances the dichotomy brilliantly. It’s no surprise that at this point in his career he is able to capture such emotional complexity. Isolated, sensitive, and funny, we empathize and understand Theodore, which Spike Jonze makes even more powerful with his ethereal camera movements and close angles. Spending so much alone time with Theodore, we become intimately connected to him. Experiencing his happiness, heartbreak, and angst. We grow to love his quirks and nuances. But we get to see how others misunderstand him and find him creepy. He has an incredible capacity to love, but it requires a level of physical detachment. Where real-life interactions are involved he is awkward, anti-social, and distant.
He is still depressed over his divorce. And while it is stated that his wife, Katherine (Rooney Mara), was volatile, we understand her frustration of trying to grow with a disconnected man. I loved the memory flashes of Theodore’s past and present adventures. They have a dreamlike quality that’s heartbreaking and exciting. Samantha refers to the past as “stories we tell ourselves”. This line makes the ethereal memories even more heartbreaking and intimate, bringing us deeper into the mind of Theodore Twombly. Other than Rooney Mara’s single present-tense scene, Amy Adams has the second most organic role in the film. Her presence is grounding and insightful. She is Theodore’s best friend, true and loyal. They share each other’s physical and virtual relationships offering advice yet being a solid form to depend on. Stripped down with little make up, quirky and incredibly intelligent, Adams is effortlessly wonderful. Scarlett Johansson is the voice of Theodore’s OS lover, Samantha. Her voice is sexy and enthralling. Her words resonate with such compassion that it’s easy to forget she is the product of incredible programming. Her wisdom is at once comprised from an infinite source of data but lacks any real world experience.
It’s important to listen to how Samantha speaks to Theodore – her word choice, tone, and timing is complex and deliberate. She receives information from his voice and facial expressions only. Written to analyze and interact simultaneously is an astounding technological feat, that’s not only plausible but also seemingly inevitable given current technological progression. The computer continues learning at insanely fast rates incomprehensible to their human counterparts.
At the start of their relationship, Theodore shows her the world, acting as a mentor as well as lover. As Samantha matures, Theodore becomes increasingly reliant on her. When he loses contact with Samantha even for a few moments, he is thrown into frenzy – not unlike how we feel when texting or chatting with a friend, when suddenly all cell reception is lost. Towards the end, Samantha’s AI is so hopelessly beyond Theodore’s, that she cannot be satisfied with him alone. In a time when we are hyper-connected through Facebook, Twitter, and countless Internet media, we paradoxically face an epidemic of loneliness. Her is an excellent portrayal of the evolution of that disconnected attachment. (– Caitlyn Thompson)
I, Frankenstein
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| Lionsgate / Released 5/13/13 |
I, Frankenstein follows Frankenstein’s monster (Aaron Eckhart) as he becomes involved in a war between two immortal clans. Also starring Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Jai Courtney and Kevin Grevioux, I, Frankenstein was written for the screen and directed by Stuart Beattie with a screen story by Kevin Grevioux and Stuart Beattie. The explosive thriller takes place 200 years after Dr. Frankenstein’s shocking creation came to life. Celestial forces name the creature Adam, and arm him with weapons to defeat the demons that are constantly seeking his destruction. However, soon Adam finds himself in the middle of a war over the fate of humanity and discovers that he also holds the key that could destroy humankind. Extras include commentaries and featurettes.
Last Word: There’s a war between gargoyles and demons brought to life thanks to glossy CGI with Aaron Eckhart as Frankenstein’s monster in the middle of the chaos in a film that is actually far dumber than it sounds. Which is inherently the problem. It is dumb and that’s fine, except it takes itself far too seriously. Everything in the film is dull and mundane. The action. The dialogue. The characters. Even the war itself. With an abundance of CGI, the film removes itself from another layer from reality making it harder to care about anything that’s happening. It often feels like you’re watching a video game that someone else is playing; there’s no emotional connection. In better hands, perhaps with a sense of humor, this might have gained a cult audience. This is not that movie.
That Awkward Moment
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| Sony / Released 5/13/14 |
Every relationship has that “so” moment. For a guy like Jason (Zac Efron), that’s where things always end. He’s firmly committed to non-commitment. When the marriage of his friend Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) falls apart, Jason takes it as proof that the single life is for the better. To get Mikey back in the game, Jason enlists him and drinking buddy Daniel (Miles Teller) to take a shared vow: together, they’ll stay single as long as humanly possible. Then along comes Ellie (Imogen Poots), the unpredictable, unforgettable one-night hook-up who changes all the rules. Despite all his instincts, Jason just can’t let her go…and his status is about to get very complicated. Extras include featurettes and gag reel.
Last Word: The banter is amusing and there’s no denying that Efron, Tellier, and Jordan are charming as hell. Timing and script be damned, their presence is just made of charm. So I’m declaring that the surface is plenty and works especially well in this movie. I mean come on, the only evidence Mikey is a doctor is his scrubs, and Jason and Daniel work as book cover designers. See my point? All that matters here is the surface.
I can’t go over the plot of That Awkward Moment because it’s formulaic and predictable but I thought it was entertaining for a ninety-minute movie. Zac Efron has transitioned nicely from High School Musical, I’m already a giant fan of Miles Tellier (The Spectacular Now, Rabbit Hole, 21 and Over), and though I haven’t seen Friday Night Lights or much of The Wire, Michael B. Jordan does gorgeous, sophisticated friend superbly. All that being said, the script was weak, there were too many storylines, and the direction was meh. So I give these actors credit for turning crap into not complete crap.
I thought the female characters, Ellie (Imogen Poots) and Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis) were awesome. They’re the witty bitches to Efron and Tellier’s charming assholes. The women play stereotypical male fantasies – they put out, act as wingmen, play video games, and drink scotch. Now I’ve been told I have a little frat-boy inside my lady body so excuse my bias, but I liked that the female characters didn’t interact with each other or have a group sob session with their girlfriends. I hope lady viewers enjoy these female roles much more so than the helpless damsels in desperate need of husbands, which is more typical in the Romcom/date flick genre.
Romantic/date movies need to find their place in this generation. Maybe resembling something close to The Spectacular Now, but not as somber, and with mid-twenty-year-old actors playing mid-twenty-year-old characters. Can you imagine what Jennifer Lawrence and Miles Tellier could do together?
I hope That Awkward Moment is a baby step towards films that capture twenty-somethings accurately, genuinely. A genre somewhere between 21 and Over and Girls, where debauchery is reasonable, life is messy and uncertain, and happily ever afters are cherished rarities. (– Caitlyn Thompson)
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| BBC Home Video / Released 5/13/14 |
Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) enters the world of the dead to answer questions about the living in this chilling psychological drama. Psychologist and University lecturer Robert Bridge feels skeptical about all things paranormal until he meets Alison Mundy, who has seen and heard spirits since she was a child. Robert thinks she’s the real deal – a genuine psychic who risks her life to help people heal from relationships torn apart by death. He’s in for a shock, though, when Allison tries to help him accept the accidental killing of his own son. Extras include commentaries.
Last Word: One of the joys of BBC Home Video are discoveries of shows like this. Afterlife is an addictive, exhilarating supernatural thriller that is instantly addictive. Adopting the personal dynamics of The X-Files with The Ghost Whisperer (Mundy plays the believer who can communicate with spirits and Lincoln as the skeptic), the series provides some genuine scares throughout and covers the supernatural without an abundance of ridicule or skepticism. Afterlife is impeccably smart, entertaining and haunting. Highly recommended.
American Jesus
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| Entertainment One / Released 5/13/14 |
From acclaimed producer/filmmaker Larry Fessenden, American Jesus is an exploration of the religion in every faction of American life, from the bread line to the yoga studio, from the humble churches of snake handlers to the mega churches of the ex-urbs. Director Aram Garriga travels from his native Barcelona to the politically divided United States to chronicle the sometimes bizarre relationship between faith, materialism, politics and personal passions in this uniquely American tableaux. Populated by an array of religious and secular characters offering candid, often illuminating testimonials – from Christian pop culture and music specialist, secular analysts, Apocalyptic preachers, Prosperity Pastors to Christian bikers, cage fighters, surfers comedians and cowboys —American Jesus is a vivid mosaic of personalities and conflicting points of view that emerges as a portrait of an America yearning for solace and meaning in the modern world. Extras include featurette and interviews.
Deadly Code
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| Lionsgate / Released 5/13/14 |
Based on the novel Siberian Education by Nicolai Lilin, Deadly Code stars two-time Academy Award nominee John Malkovich as Grandfather Kuzya, the leader of a Siberian criminal clan banished to live in the punishment town of Transnistria in 1985. There, he schools his grandson on the “honest criminal” code of their community, which must never be broken. The film also stars Peter Stormare and is directed by Gabriele Salvatore. Extras include featurette.
Eastbound & Down: Season 4
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| HBO Home Video / Released 5/13/14 |
The final season of the hit HBO comedy series finds Kenny (Danny McBride) struggling with his identity after fleeing his successful comeback to the minors by faking his own death and returning home to the love of his life, April, and their son Toby. Years later, Kenny is settled quietly into family life in North Carolina, working as an assistant manager at a car rental outlet, trying to piece together a screenplay about his life story and numbing the yearning to return to the vices of his glory days with boring couples’ nights and bland dinner parties. But when a former teammate turns up with an opportunity for Kenny to get back in the game as a celebrity commentator – and to live the rich, famous lifestyle he deserves – Kenny begins to wonder whether the time is right for a comeback of a different sort. Extras include deleted scenes, bloopers, and commentaries.
Last Word: After a disappointing third and final season, I was a little less than enthusiastic that HBO decided to give Eastbound & Down an additional eight episodes. It was the best choice possible, allowing creators Jody Hill and McBride to provide both some closure as well as a happy ending to n’er do well, Kenny Powers. As a matter of fact, this season saw Powers evolve from a caricature into a human being, He’s had wealth and fame, notoriety and women, but he’s lost his family, his friends and himself. And Kenny Powers’ comeback is the sweetest victory for longtime fans. Guest stars include Omar J. Dorsey, Ken Marino, Jason Sudeikis, Tim Heidecker, Marilyn Manson and Sacha Baron Cohen. Highly recommended.
First World War: Complete Series
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| Entertainment One / Released 5/13/14 |
The popular view of the First World War is dominated by cliche. Young soldiers were led to ghastly deaths in muddy wastes on the Western Front by incompetent generals for reasons that were seemingly futile. And although cliches are not necessarily lies, they are, at best, a selective view of the truth. This ten-part series offers a stunning account of the war, presenting new insights into one of the defining events of modern history, and, for the first time ever, a truly global vision of the conflict.
Generation Iron
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| Anchor Bay / Released 5/13/14 |
This critically-acclaimed documentary follows seven larger-than-life competitors vying for glory in the 2012 Mr. Olympia, the ultimate bodybuilding contest that catapults its winners into fame and stardom. From the producer of the classic Pumping Iron and narrated by Academy Award-nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), this true story of dedication, rivalry, victory, defeat, and triumph follows an array of magnificent bodybuilders as they prepare for, then participate in, the Olympia showdown in Las Vegas. These athletes include 2011 Mr. Olympia-winner Phil Heath, Brooklyn underdog Kai Greene, Texas maverick Branch Warren, Japanese expatriate Hidetada Yamagishi, Germany’s Dennis Wolf, Curacao-born Roelly Winklaar, and the forward-thinking Ben Pakulski. Featuring Lou Ferrigno (TV’s “The Incredible Hulk”), Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight, Fast & Furious 7), and more. Extras include interview, making of.
Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection 8
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| Warner Home Video / Released 5/13/14 |
The first disc in Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volume 8 is entirely devoted to everyone’s favorite carrot-crunching, wise-cracking “wabbit,” Bugs Bunny. Fifteen, hilarious theatrical cartoons are featured, including Bugs Bunny Rides Again, in which Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny meet in the Old West and challenge each other in horse racing, card games, gun drawing and much more. Bugs Bunny enters the world of professional wresting in Bunny Hugged and becomes the adopted child of a gorilla mother in Gorilla My Dreams. In Tortoise Beats Hare, Bugs Bunny challenges Cecil Turtle to a race and becomes the target of very hungry wolf in Little Red Riding Rabbit. These and several other rip-roaring shorts are featured on this disc.
In disc two, viewers will find an all-star cartoon party featuring favorite characters such as Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner and many others. Featured shorts include The Wise Quacking Duck, in which Daffy Duck goes head to head with a meek man who is ordered by his wife to hunt Daffy. In Pied Piper of Guadalupe, Sylvester imitates the Pied Piper of Hamelin to lure a group of mice. In Claws for Alarm, Porky Pig and Sylvester spend the night in an old hotel. In Whoa, Be-Gone!, Wile E. Coyote’s creative schemes to catch the Road Runner include the use of a giant elastic spring, a gun and trampoline, TNT sticks and much more. These and several other rollicking shorts are featured on this disc.
Last Word: Here’s the rub. If you’re a fan (like me) and already have the Looney Tunes Golden Collections, then this purchase is unnecessary as it finds shorts already presented in Volumes 2 to Volume 5. It’s a great primer for younger viewers or casual fans, but Warner keeps rereleasing the same material instead of a new volume of the DVD or Blu-ray collections. There are some great shorts in this set. But I already have them (in some cases two or three times over). So, for someone who hasn’t been buying Looney Tunes Golden Collections it’s a recommendation. For real fans, Warner, how about some fresh releases?
Poseidon Rex
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| Anderson Digital / Released 5/13/14 |
The creature feature stars Brian Krause, Anne McDaniels, Steven Helmkamp and Candice Nuñes, and is directed by Mark L. Lester (Firestarter, Commando). A small, secluded island off the coast of Belize suddenly finds itself terrorized by a deadly predator from the planet’s distant past, when deep-sea divers accidentally awaken an ancient evil. Jackson Slate and his team of underwater cave explorers unearth much more than long-lost Mayan treasures while plumbing the depths of a world famous blue hole. They disturb a creature that’s been hibernating for over 60,000 years – a rampaging behemoth of death and destruction not only at sea but also on land. Extras include outtakes and making of.
Last Word: Poseidon Rex is not just a bad film, it’s an inept, terrible film and a waste of time. Director Mark L. Lester was the draw for me, and I have to wonder if his family was held hostage forcing him to helm this schlock. Let’s be honest, it’s a giant monster movie; I’m cool with that and expected it to be cheesy. It looks terrible (there seems to be a lack of color correction and each shot looks different from the last) and the cast are all walking through an uninspired script. Worst are the effects which honestly feel like they were produced by the lowest bidder. The best part is the box art; the rest? Cringe inducing. And that’s complementary.
Shelter Island
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| Entertainment One / Released 5/13/14 |
Jimmy Olinkiewicz is a blue-collar gas station owner, building contractor, online antique seller and father of an autistic child. “Outsider” artist Harald Olson is consumed by art, eschewing modern conveniences and sometimes going 72 hours where he “forgets” to eat. The magic that takes place when these two equally eclectic Shelter Island, NY residents meet is at the center of Shelter Island, an inspiring, festival favorite documentary from filmmaker Michael Canzoniero.
During the summer of 2010, Michael Canzoniero was visiting his in-laws on Shelter Island when his father in-law asked if he might be interested in seeing the art gallery that his friend Jimmy constructed in his gas station, featuring a local “outsider” artist. The idea of an art gallery in a gas station was enough to spark his interest, but once he was introduced to benefactor Olinkiewicz and artist Olson, he knew there was something extraordinary happening, so Canzoniero grabbed his camera and began documenting the poignant relationships and captivating art he saw blossoming before his eyes.
The story goes like this: one day, on his way to work, Jimmy drove past a row of Olson’s paintings leaning up against a fence, and was greatly touched by what he saw. He stopped, sought out the artist, and began purchasing the art to decorate his gas station-turned-convenience store. Little by little, as Jimmy began to learn of Harald’s complicated background and his current isolation, he couldn’t help but compare the situation with the needs of his own son, Alex. Inspired in part by this compelling parallel, and in part by Harald’s clearly profound artistic talent, Jimmy created an art space for Olson in the defunct garage portion of his service station. Soon, it becomes evident that Harald’s art is deserving of a much larger audience and Shelter Island follows the amazing and unexpected journey from selling paintings alongside a picket fence to a major showing at a Chelsea art gallery in Manhattan. And it’s on the journey towards this goal — and through the show’s success – that it becomes clear that Harald’s art is the perfect parallel to Jimmy’s kindness: innate, beautiful, and wholly unexpected. Simply put, Shelter Island is an uplifting account of how compassion and human connection can unlock great potential in hidden places. Extras include a short film, In My Mind.
Special ID
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| Well Go USA / Released 5/13/14 |
Donnie Yen is Detective Chen Zilong – but the criminal underworld knows him as “Dragon” Chen, a dangerous but effective enforcer. When rivalries explode with the reappearance of an old enemy and a brutal murder, the Triads close ranks and unleash a series of executions – with Chen at the top of the list. Undercover and under attack, he has no choice but to rely on a new partner (Jing Tian) and his knowledge of the streets to get out alive. It’s the only chance he’s got.
Donnie Yen is Zilong “Dragon” Chen, an undercover cop deep inside Chinas most ruthless crime syndicate. The boss, Xiong (Collin Chou, Jet Li’s Fearless, The Matrix trilogy) swears to find every traitor and make him or her pay with their lives. Agents are turning up dead. His days are numbered. Desperate to protect his family and his life, Chen must risk everything to protect the Special Identity he never wanted before its too late.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
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| Paramount / Released 5/13/14 |
From the studio that brought you Shrek, winner of the first Academy Award for Best Animated Film, comes Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron. Critics are applauding this must-see motion picture adventure as “an instant classic” (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood) and “one of the most beautiful and exciting animated features ever made” (Leonard Maltin, Hot Ticket).
Join Spirit, a wild young mustang, as he sets up on an action-packed quest against impossible odds to regain his freedom and save his homeland. In this courageous and thrilling journey across the majestic wilderness of the American frontier, Spirit forms a remarkable friendship with a young Lakota brave, outwits a relentless squadron of soldiers, and falls for a beautiful mare named Rain. Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron is a spectacular tale about discovering the true hero inside of you. Extras include commentary, drawing tutorial and featurettes.
