| November New DVDs Roundup |
Page 1 of 2 A few surprises among this month’s releases–including actual believable performances from eye-candy Jordana Brewster ("Nearing Grace"), Jennifer Lopez ("El Cantante") and Meg Ryan ("In the Land of Women") and the slight drop in Pixar/Disney quality ("Ratatouille") –are balanced by several non-surprises, including a half-dozen solid documentaries, another mature movie from Romania, and the usual mindless Adam Sandler vehicle (although the fact that it’s only semi-mindless may actually be the biggest surprise).Camden 28 directed by Anthony Giacchino The ineptly-waged war in Iraq has returned the Vietnam War to our consciousness, including stories that could be read as necessary cautionary tales. A most notable one is the trial of a group of New Jerseyites who raided the local draft board office to destroy records, only to be nabbed by the FBI because one of their number was an informant. The resulting trial not only showed them as heroes and patriots in their own right, but broke the government’s stranglehold on putting down anti-war protestors. These men and women–several are interviewed, along with the informant and FBI agent he reported to–are shining examples of the type of selfless American we should all aspire to be. Extras: additional interviews. Crazy Love directed by Dan Klores and Fisher Stevens This documentary with the most understated title in movie history tells the absolutely insane true story of the long-term relationship between a Bronx lawyer and the beautiful woman who jilted him, got engaged to another man, was blinded with lye by the lawyer and who–after he served years in jail–finally succumbed to his possessiveness, fell in love with him and married him. No summary of this crazy little thing called love could come close to approximating actually watching the film: your mouth will be continually agape as you witness this with your own eyes...and there’s a happy ending yet! Extras: additional interviews.
El Cantante directed by Leon Ichaso starring Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, John Oritz, Manny Perez, Federico Castelluccio, Vincent Laresca, Jack Mulcahy, and Antone Pagan I never thought she had it in her: Jennifer Lopez gives an electrifying performance as Puchi, wife of salsa legend Hector Lavoe, who died of AIDS from drug abuse in 1993. This mediocre biopic has the attendant goings-on that typify the genre, and Marc Anthony is merely an adequate movie presence as Lavoe, but J. Lo is superb, giving her all to a character who could have been flattened into one-dimensionality: she is sexy, of course, but also believably down-and-dirty as she fights for her husband against everything and everybody aligned against him. Director Leon Ischo gives the movie a glossy look, which helps camouflage its many holes, but only J. Lo emerges unscathed. Extras: director and writer commentaries; behind-the-scenes featurette. Home of the Brave directed by Irwin Winkler starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel, Brian Presley, Christina Ricci, Curtis Jackson, Chad Michael Murray, Victoria Rowell, and Sam Jones III Irwin Winkler has made the first “feel-good” drama about Iraq, a story of soldiers returning home who encounter myriad problems—mental and physical disabilities and the difficulty in returning the love of families and friends. It rings true but never convinces; Winkler and writer Mark Friedman try so hard to be evenhanded and thorough (impossible in a 105-minute movie) that they lose direction and their characters are mere caricatures being put through their paces. Still, as earnest war movies go, this at least addresses a problem long swept under the rug by our media and government. Extras: director/writer/producer commentary; deleted scenes with commentary. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry directed by Dennis Dugan starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Cole Morgen, Steve Buscemi, Nick Swardson, Rob Corddry, and Dan Aykroyd In the pantheon of Adam Sandler vehicles, “Chuck and Larry” is one of the stranger entries: he and Kevin James play hetero firemen who pretend to be gay lovers so James can continue his pension benefits. As a satire of gayness and government bureaucracy (an unlikely combination), it’s as safe and rickety as expected, with undeniably funny situations fending for themselves among more disastrous ones. Sandler is his usual dopey self—since it’s even more of a stretch for him to play a he-man, womanizing hero—and James does the same schlub bit he did on “The King of Queens.” Somehow, it works: its straight (pardon the pun) and superficial laughs make a dent in some peoples’ psyches than a tougher-minded, deeper treatment of sexual orientation would. Extras: deleted scenes; featurettes; commentaries with Dugan, Sandler and James. In the Land of Women directed by Jon Kasdan starring Meg Ryan, Adam Brody, Kristen Stewart, Makenzie Vega, Elena Anaya, Clark Greg,and Ginnifer Goodwin Talk about literal titles: jilted by his famous girlfriend, Carter returns home to Michigan to care for his elderly grandmother. There, he gets involved with Sarah, a neighbor dying of cancer, and Lucy, her appealing teenage daughter. For all its soap-operaish leanings, Jonathan Kasdan’s film is actually quite tolerable, thanks to the unexpected paths the characters take and always interesting dialogue. The acting helps too: “The O.C.’s” Adam Brody (Carter), JoBeth Williams (his mother), Olympia Dukakis (grandmother), Kristen Stewart (Lucy) and even Meg Ryan (Sarah) help make “In the Land of Women” a persuasive, adult drama, although Kasdan (yes, he’s Lawrence Kasdan’s son) relies too heavily on classic-rock tunes by Foreigner, Springsteen, Huey Lewis and INXS. Into Great Silence directed by Philip Groning This gloriously-photographed exploration of the lives of a group of monks in the Grand Chartreuse monastery in France is a lengthy but meditative work that brings the viewer into a hushed world of solitude and reflection. Even if you’re not religious, it’s impossible not to be affected by this world that’s so far away from the hectic loudness of modern life. Director Philip Gröning’s film presents an eye-opening look at what, for all intents and purposes, could be what was happening in this monastery hundreds of years ago. Extras: one hour of additional scenes; “Night Office,” a 53-minute excerpt of the monks’ rituals; guide to monasteries.
Jindabyne directed by Ray Lawrence starring Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Deborra-Lee Furness, John Howard Based on Raymond Carver’s brilliant and disturbing short story about men out fishing who find a body but continue their trip, “Jindabyne” transplants the action to Australia, where the dead girl is an Aborigine, adding a thick layer of racism to the story. Ray Lawrence–who made the memorably chaotic “Bliss” 20 years ago–has poured on irony with a trowel, which threatens to sink Carver’s terse observations on human nature with metaphorical weight. Luckily, a splendid cast–headed by Gabriel Byrne as the fishing leader and Laura Linney as his incredulous wife–helps smooth over several rough patches. Extras: deleted scenes; 30-minute making-of featurette.
Journey from the Fall directed by Ham Tran starring Diem Lien, Kieu Chinh, Long Nguyen, Cat Ly Ham Tran’s downbeat drama about Vietnamese refugees following the fall of Saigon in 1975–immediately after the Americans pulled out–certainly has its heart in the right place, as it attempts to show the human cost of those left behind, not only because of the American withdrawal, but also because of a perfect storm of events that conspired to make this one of the most heartrendingly tragic episodes of 20th century history. Too bad the director also relies on hackneyed dialogue, melodramatic situations and cardboard characters to get his point, however important, across, which simply fudges the issue. Extras: audio commentary with cast and crew; deleted scene and alternate ending; making-of featurette. License to Wed directed by Ken Kwapis starring Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, John Krasinski By now, we know what to expect from a Robin Williams vehicle: a general air of sappiness buttressed with occasional Williams riffs on anything and everything. In this one, he plays a priest (!) who runs an unconventional marriage preparation class attended by an engaged couple, nicely played by Mandy Moore and John Krasinski. Running a scant 90 minutes, “Wed” doesn’t stick around long enough to become a major annoyance, although Williams certainly tries too hard in his more cloying moments–and whoever thought of those incredibly obnoxious baby “robots” that drool, drip snot out of their noses and ooze other substances, deserves to be permanently banned from the movies. Extras: deleted scenes with commentary; behind-the-scenes featurette.
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