New Blu
by Robin E. Simmons
June 24, 2010New Blu-ray titles, classic, controversial and silly are newly available to divert and delight. Now that summer’s officially here, check out these cool movies that will help assuage the season’s heat.
RED DESERT
Il Deserto Rosso, Michelangelo Antonioni’s first color film is really a tone poem about the spiritual desolation inherent in the rise of the technological age. Monica Vitti – Antonioni’s alleged muse – is brilliant as the lonely, disheartened and alienated woman lost amidst the cold industrial landscape of power plants spewing toxins.
Extraordinary vistas and painterly compositions imbue the emotions with visual metaphors that are richly nuanced. Red Desert established Antonioni as the preeminent cinematic poet of the post-modern age. What one sees and feels in Red Desert, is a prophetic and perhaps apocalyptic vision of a world that is more with us than ever. One has only to look at the horrific consequences of the BP gulf oil disaster and the dismissive accountability from those most responsible. Or Bernie Madoff, his staff of thieves and their collective disdain for the victims.
This great 1964 film in its newly transferred Blu-ray edition is one for the serious collector. It’s a reminder that superior films really matter when they reflect the truth of our times and selves. The Red Desert is a landscape where love and spirituality are subject to the drought of misguided human ambition.
Generous extras include a wonderful commentary from film scholar David Forgacs, archival interviews with Antonioni and Vitti as well as several short documentaries. From Criterion.
THE LAST STATION
Set in Russia during the first decade of the 20th Century, the film focuses on the last days of Leo Tolstoy’s life. He died in 1910, almost seven years before the Russian revolution but the strife brewing in the country is reflected in the personal lives of Leo (Christopher Plummer), his wife Sofya (Helen Mirren) and the issue of the royalties of his writings. Lurking in the wings is Tolstoy’s assistant Chertkov (Paul Giamatti) who despises Sofya. Entering this family’s conflict is a young secretary who idolizes Tolstoy but has growing sympathy for Sofya. This is a beautiful and beautifully acted film that pleases the eye, touches the heart and engages the mind. Michael Hoffman wrote and directed his vision of the forces at play in the land and the lives at an intersection of history.
SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE
What happens when a very ordinary, geeky, awkward guy lands a dream girl? What’s going on? And what to do about all the comments, envy and social stress that comes with the territory? This comedy is a notch above the raunchy oeuvre the movie suggests. It’s not so much about “love conquers all” as it is about how to keep the yapping dogs at bay. Alice Eve is perky and beautiful as the girl and Jay Baruchel has fun as her lucky puppy.
GREEN ZONE
Set in the recent past, Matt Damon stars as Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller who, assigned to follow intelligence he’s been given, travels across war-torn Iraq in search of Weapons of Mass Destruction only to be caught in a vice of deception and ambition. Hand-held camera work gives this action drama an urgency that conveys a sense of verisimilitude, especially in the well-staged combat and action sequences. The film was not a hit in theaters, and some who saw it felt it was anti-American, but this is a very American story of honesty and truth prevailing against the powers-that-be. This is a solid action thriller. Paul Greengrass directed. Brian Helgeland adapted the screenplay based on the book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran.
A STAR IS BORN
After its 1954 premier, the film was shortened for its wider release. In 1983, it was restored to near its original running time. It remains one of more iconic stories of Hollywood with all its heartache and fame intact. The film itself is “one of Hollywood’s supreme triumphs” and the new transfer is breathtaking on Blu-ray.
Judy Garland is a band-singer guided to the pinnacle of success by a former star (James Mason) who is an alcoholic. George Cukor’s stylish direction is strangely exhilarating even as the story moves to its inexorable and tragic end
BOOK OF ELI
Denzel Washington is Eli. He wanders a post-apocalyptic America with the last copy of a book that has the power to revive a society, a culture and a people for good or, if it falls into the wrong hands, for evil. Eli wanders ever westward on a quest guided by dreams and visions. It’s a mission he does not fully understand but he knows it requires use of deadly force when necessary and Eli is superbly skilled at exercising his swift, lethal skills. Here’s a remarkable film with a strong, stark, visual style. So much better than the empty, pretentious and similarly set The Road. Gary Oldman is the despot who seeks the book for power. Mila Kunis is a naïve waif who discovers something greater. Fine direction from the Hughes Brothers and Washington is memorable as Eli – a righteous warrior who “walks by faith, not sight.”
THE WOLFMAN
Lawrence Talbot (Benecio Del Toro) returns to his family estate to investigate the brutal murder of his brother.
Emily Blunt is the widow and Anthony Hopkins is the estranged father. Eventually, Del Toro and Hopkins virtually tear up the screen in this often beautifully rendered, action-packed thriller. Not taken from literature, but rather folk tales and of course the classic Universal film of the same name, The Wolfman still lacks a literary pedigree and heft, but this incarnation is just fine – especially the extended version “not seen in theaters.” Too bad the metaphor of the Prodigal Son, hinted at in dialogue during an early scene, is not played out in all it’s inverted and demented potential of a father seeking redemption through his son.
STONES IN EXILE
Almost 40 years ago, in the spring of 1971 to be precise, the Rolling Stones left Great Britain and took up residence in France. They were tax exiles. Keith Richards found a villa in Villefranche-sur-Mer and it became the studio most of the band’s masterpiece “Exile On Main Street.”
What makes Stones In Exile so interesting is the band members tell their own story. Through their words and generous archival footage, we hear of their time away from England and the making the incredible double album, which many fans regard as the Stones finest achievement. Bonus Features include significant additional footage and interviews. Not in Blu-ray, but still worth finding.
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