Blu-rays of the
Week
Geostorm
(Warner Bros)
Dean
Devlin’s disaster extravaganza has nefarious bad guys creating a series of targeted—and
massive—global storms that destroy whole cities and even specific places like the
hockey arena where the current president accepts his renomination at the
Democratic National Convention. It’s as silly as it sounds, with lots of
CGI-heavy climate events that look threatening but aren’t very dramatic; how
often can we watch poor innocent saps being incinerated or swallowed up by nasty
weather? The best thing about this clichéd apocalypse flick is the presence of
two Aussies (Gerard Butler and the always criminally underused Abbie Cornish)
and an Englishman (Jim Sturgess) as America’s heroes. It all looks eye-catching
on Blu; extras are three making-of featurettes.
Gangster Land
(Cinedigm)
A
by-the-numbers gangster flick featuring Al Capone that really doesn’t do much
with him as either an historical character or a prime antagonist, director Timothy
Woodward Jr.’s derivative drama depicts crooked cops and gangsters populating Prohibition-era
Chicago in blunt black and white. The cast—which comprises some decent and
recognizable performers such as Jason Patric and Jamie-Lynn Sigler—definitely “looks”
the period, but there’s little here that’s recommendable. The hi-def transfer
is excellent.
Red Trees
(Cohen Media)
In
this deeply personal documentary, director Marina Willer chronicles her own
family’s status as refugees during World War II, especially through the
memories of her father, who lived through a time of horror as his family was
among the very few who were able to escape from Prague in then-Czechoslovakia
during the Nazi occupation. At a scant 80 minutes, Willer’s film is tightly
focused if visually impressionistic, and she allows her father his own voice—which
is heard through the mellifluous tones British actor Tim Piggott-Smith (who
died last April). The film looks fine on Blu; lone extra is a brief Willer
interview.
DVDs
of the Week
In Her Name
(Icarus
Films)
Daniel Auteuil gives his usual intense
portrayal as Andre Bamberski, a divorced father who spends 30 years trying to get
justice for his teenage daughter’s death at the hands of his ex’s German
husband (who’s also a doctor). This true tale is handled with sympathy by
director Vincent Garenq, who manages to encompass three decades of missteps, frustrations
and explosive courtroom dramatics in 90 minutes. Alongside Auteuil’s Andre are
the equally compelling Sebastian Koch (doctor), Marie-Josee Croze (ex-wife) and
Emma Besson (unfortunate daughter).
In Search of Fellini
In this unabashedly sentimental story co-written by Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson’s voice), a sheltered young Ohio woman decides to travel to Italy to meet the great Italian director, whose work she inadvertently discovers by walking into a screening of La Strada. Despite cringingly melodramatic moments from the script and director Taron Lexton, this remains highly watchable thanks to an utterly winning performance by Ksenia Solo, who makes us believe in and even root for the ultimate fish out of water. There’s also welcome support from Maria Bello as the terminally ill mom and Mary Lynn Rajskub as the mom’s impossibly loyal friend. Extras are director/writer commentary and making-of featurette.
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