Atlas Shrugged, Part II
(Fox)
The second part of this
interminable adaptation of Ayn Rand’s bloated novel at least does away with her
turgid prose, replacing it with mediocrity in front of and behind the camera. It’s
infantile pro-“job creator” propaganda that even fans of Sean Hannity (who
appears briefly—and badly—as himself) can understand. If you enjoy seeing
trains crash, then this is the movie for you: and there’s a reward for those who
make it through all 112 minutes…the cliff-hanger introduction of the one and
only John Galt. The hi-def transfer is first-rate; extras are deleted scenes, making-of
featurette, extended Hannity segment.
(e one)
This gritty thriller, set in
war-torn Afghanistan, follows a French journalist (a strong Diane Kruger) kidnaped
by the Taliban who’s rescued by an elite group of special forces (led by Djimon
Hounsou and Benoit Magimel). While it goes on too long, Stephane Rybojadx’s drama
is a real nail-biter, and the desert locales go a long way toward giving it an
authenticity of time and place. The movie looks terrific on Blu-ray; extras
include a making-of documentary as long as the actual movie and deleted scenes.
The Thief of Bagdad
(Cohen Media)
In this epic “Arabian Nights” fantasy,
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. stars as Ahmed, the dashing thief who becomes a hero to
the princess whom he sweeps off her feet. Although Raoul Walsh’s 1924 silent has
its share of dramatic longeurs amidst its 124 minutes, there’s never a dull
visual moment, thanks to William Cameron Menzies’ amazing sets. And on Blu-ray,
in a restored edition, it looks about as good as an 89-year-old movie is ever
going to look. Extras include a commentary and featurette.
(PBS)
PBS’s Nova series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the grueling and
difficult path to Curiosity, which is the latest attempt by NASA scientists to build
a probe that will be sent to Mars and discover whether or not life has ever
existed there. Through a series of detailed experiments, we are shown how the
probe—by far the most sophisticated robotic system ever sent to the Red Planet—is
given a landing system that includes a massive parachute and crane whose jobs
are to slow and touch down a probe coming in at 13,000 MPH. The Blu-ray image
is ravishing.
(Weinstein/Anchor Bay)
Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin’s inspirational
documentary (and last year’s Oscar winner) follows coach Bill Courtney, whose
arrival at sad-sack Manassas High in North Carolina—where he found a pervasive
losing mentality and culture—transforms the team after six difficult seasons
into a winner, both on and off the field. There are manipulative moments, but mainly
this is an uplifting look at teenagers doing positive things when they set
their minds to it. The Blu-ray image is good; extras include deleted scenes,
directors’ commentary and making-of featurette.
Bestiaire
(Zeitgeist/KimStim)
Quebecois director Denis Cote’s fascinating
glimpse at a safari park outside Montreal is 70 minutes filled with wondrous shots
of workers and visitors interacting with and being mesmerized by the vast park’s
animal inhabitants. Bookended by evocative images—a young woman’s face in close-up
and an elephant walking through a tree-filled landscape in long shot—the movie is,
in a broad sense, reminiscent of Frederick Wiseman’s great documentaries. The
lone extra is a Cote interview.
(Sony)
It’s not surprising that the
directors of the animated Persepolis
(Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud) made a live-action romantic/tragic
fantasy that resembles a cartoon: characterizations are secondary to the lively
atmosphere in this story of a noted violinist who recounts his rich life while
awaiting death. Mathieu Amalric is his usual solid self in the lead, Golshifteh
Farahani is a ravishing specter of missed love, but the movie bumpily moves
from seriousness to frivolity without melding them together. Extras include
directors’ commentary and Tribeca Film festival Q&A.
(PBS)
In this hard-hitting PBS American Experience documentary, the innovative
auto giant is profiled with two hours of insights into his achievements and
embarrassments. In addition to creating the automobile industry that ruled American
labor for decades, Ford was also deeply racist and anti-Semitic, which might or
might not disallow him from the annals of great Americans. Either way, this deeply
flawed but fascinating man is worthy of this biography.
(Sundance Selects)
This
devastating piece of cinematic advocacy powerfully documents AIDS activists getting
the deadly epidemic into the sights of an inattentive government band and enabling
themselves to survive despite the death sentence the disease gave them. Director
David France extensively—and adroitly—intercuts vintage footage with new
interviews with the MVPs in the fight by ACT UP (the most prominent AIDS
victims’ group) over so many years of fighting disease and government. Extras
include commentary with France and ACT UP activists, along with deleted scenes.
(Sony)
In writer-director Jonas Akerlund’s
black comedy, several non-descript—but oh so edgy—people interact with one
another in a rundown apartment complex, including unexpected deaths. A non-all-star
cast—comprising Matt Lucas, Juno Temple, James Caan, Saffron Burrows, Rosie
Perez, Billy Crystal and even Dolph Lundgren—is game but can’t overcome the interchangeable
weirdness that fails to distinguish these characters. Extras include a behind
the scenes featurette.
Peter Maxwell Davies—Concertos
(Naxos)
Peter Maxwell Davies’ concertos
for trumpet, piccolo and piano—composed in 1988, 1996 and 1997,
respectively—are ably conducted by the composer himself on these re-releases. His soloists—trumpeter John Wallace, piccolo
player Stewart McIlwham and pianist Kathryn Scott—play splendidly; the trumpet concerto is certainly more astringent than the the lively piccolo concerto and the dense, dazzling piano concerto. The other pieces on these discs (like Five Klee Pictures and his motet for orchestra, Worldes Blis) round out a compelling snapshot of this accomplished British composer.
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