Billy Bathgate/Blaze
(Mill Creek)
Robert Benton’s adaptation of Billy Bathgate, E.L. Doctorow’s vivid
historical novel about 1920s New York organized crime, looks great but is
dragged down by sleepwalking Dustin Hoffman as “godfather” Dutch Schultz,
Nicole Kidman as his moll Drew and Loren Dean as Dutch’s protégé who has an
affair with Drew. Blaze, Ron
Shelton’s lively biopic of the stripper who enthralled Louisiana Governor Earl
Long, has a blazing performance by Paul Newman as Long and starmaking debut by
Lolita Davidovich in the title role (she later became Shelton’s wife). Both
movies have not-bad hi-def transfers.
(Disney)
Although this Pixar animated
feature was a huge hit, it’s little more than another Disney flick with a brave
young woman at its center. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s
little that’s exciting or memorable, and the computerized animation—not nearly
as good as classic hand-drawn animation—doesn’t help. The Blu-ray image is
top-notch, both in 3-D and 2-D; extras include featurettes, extended scenes and
a commentary.
(Image)
Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 musical’s
energetic 2011 New York Philharmonic revival has well-cast performers like
Martha Plimpton, Stephen Colbert, Christina Hendricks, Anika Noni Rose and even
Neil Patrick Harris, whose smugness is kept to a minimum. Then there’s Patti
Lupone, who gives the showstopper “The Ladies Who Lunch” its grandest ride
since Elaine Stritch. The orchestra sounds extraordinary led by Paul Gemignani,
and Lonny Price’s staging works well. The hi-def image and sound are crystal
clear.
(New Video)
Gary Hustwit, director of the
visually lush chronicle of modern cities, Urbanized,
made this equally fascinating 2009 design exploration. Through interviews
with designers and experts and showing inventions from toothbrushes to
new-fangled tech gadgets, Hustwit provides an inventive overview of
modern civilization marching forward. The Blu-ray image looks superb; extras include
additional interviews.
(Anchor Bay)
In Amy Heckerling’s tired vampire
spoof, Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter play bloodsuckers navigating a
wild, wooly new world. Along with Heckerling’s game actresses—Ritter especially
plays kooky far more charmingly than Zooey Deschanel—her movie also wastes Sigourney
Weaver as a crazed vampiress and good comic actors Justin Kirk, Wally Shawn and
Richard Lewis. The movie looks striking in hi-def.
(Fox)
The least of this lame comedy’s
problems is its pre-release tie to last spring’s Florida ‘neighborhood watch’ tragedy: worse are the
combined non-talents of Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill and co-writer Seth Rogen to
create this flimsy attempt at a raunchy, violent sci-fi spoof. Even Vince
Vaughan (on autopilot) and his dry line readings can’t help. Faring best are
Rachel DeWitt as Stiller’s wife and Billy Crudup as a weird neighbor. The
hi-def image is excellent; extras are deleted scenes, a gag reel and featurettes.
Weekend
(Criterion)
In 1967, Jean-Luc Godard’s
apocalyptic fantasy about civilization’s end came out of that era’s political
and social upheaval; in 2012, it’s as relevant as ever. Although the extended
take of an endless automobile crash is still stunning, more astonishing is that
Godard—the ultimate hit-or-miss artist—never falters in this seething attack on
literally everything. Raoul Coutard’s magnificent photography, with its mix of
fantastically popping colors, shines on Criterion’s Blu-ray; extras include
interviews with Coutard, actress Mireille Darc, actor Jean Yanne and assistant Claude
Miller and a vintage featurette.
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady
Jaye
(New Yorker)
In Marie Losier’s sympathetic
portrait of a couple that hoped to—literally—merge as one (Genesis had several
surgeries to look like Lady Jaye), a relationship that begins as lust turns to
love and, finally, partners for life (cancer tragically killed Lady Jaye at age
39 in 2007). Losier digs into what some might consider an aberrant lifestyle
with compassion and understanding, and beautifully uses home movies and other
valuable footage. Extras include interviews, outtakes and short films.
(MPI)
Philippe Garrel has an undeserved
reputation as one of France’s greatest directors with films like Regular Lovers and this stale, stilted account
of a crazed young man (Garrel’s untalented son, Louis) whose unraveling marriage
to a gorgeous movie star (Monica Bellucci) causes him to take his own life. Missing
from this dreary drama are any insights into his characters’ behavior; even the
shimmering photography doesn’t help.
(Film Movement)
Writer-director Alice
Rohrwacher’s startling debut insightfully chronicles an adolescent girl’s
difficulties at home and school. The film, set in southern Italy, is shot
through with religious guilt that could smother anybody: as Marta prepares for
her confirmation, she can’t handle the hypocrisies among adults and her peers. Rohrwacher
humorously presents Marta’s troubles without condescension and, coupled with
Yle Vianello’s marvelously unaffected performance, creates a truthful comedy
that explores teenage life in ways far removed from the sentimentality and
cheap laughs of American movies and TV shows. German director Max Zahle’s
short, Raju, is the lone extra.
(Virgil Films)
Todd Solondz again purports to make
an unflinching look at society’s ills, but actually makes yet another sitcom
crammed with clueless caricatures indistinguishable from one another. The
casual racism and misogyny that mars his other films isn’t as overt here, but
if your idea of a good time is seeing Chris Walken in stupid-looking shirts or
Mia Farrow in a bad wig and glasses, then you may get more out of it than I did.
(Docurama)
In this four-hour documentary, NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff and
his wife Sheryl WuDunn recruit a half-dozen Hollywood actresses to explore the
horrible conditions so many women around the world must deal with, even in the
21st century. Eva Mendes travels to Sierra Leone, Meg Ryan goes to Cambodia,
America Ferrera to India, Olivia Wilde to Kenya, Diane Lane to Somaliland and Gabrielle
Union to Vietnam: their (and our) eyes are opened by other women fighting such
reprehensibly regressive policies. Extras include extended interviews and
scenes.
Janine Jansen: Prokofiev
(Decca)
Great violinists cut their teeth
on Sergei Prokofiev’s first concerto, ever tuneful and buoyant, even if it’s
frightfully difficult to play. Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, however, tackles
the less well known if equally fiendish second concerto, dispatching it with
such ease it seems she’s making up Prokofiev’s brilliantly articulated runs on
the spot. And, to show off the musical depths of Prokofiev—still grievously
underrated, for he’s one of the 20th century’s greatest composers—Jansen
also plays his Sonata for Two Violins (with Boris Brovstyn) and the exceedingly
dark Violin Sonata, both chamber masterpieces.
(ABKCO)
Celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the self-styled “world’s greatest rock’n’roll band,” here are 50
of their biggest hits, from early tunes “Come On” and “Not Fade Away” to new
rockers “Doom and Gloom” and “One More Shot,” which are better than anything they’ve
done since 1981’s Tattoo You. There
are strange omissions—“She’s So Cold” doesn’t appear, but “She Was Hot” does—and
some tunes are the edited radio versions. But there’s much good stuff: the sixteen
songs on disc two, from “Jumping Jack Flash” to “Fool to Cry” (with “Wild
Horses,” “Street Fighting Man” and “Angie” in between), are the Stones’ real greatest
hits.
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