Month: March 2009

Slumdog Millionaire (R, 2008, Fox)
Hopefully, all the blathering you might have heard about “Slumdog Millionaire” didn’t include spoilers or excessively-worded plot descriptions, because the less you know going in, the better case the film makes for all those awards. You won’t have to wait long, either: Within 30 seconds, you know that Jamal (Dev Patel) is a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?,” is one question away from the grand prize, and is sitting in a room with two temperamental interrogators who think he’s a fraud. Not a bad haul for 30 seconds. But where “Millionaire” really earns its kudos is with what it does with that haul. Out of this introduction spins a biopic about a nobody (played at different ages by Patel, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and Tanay Chheda) whose existence not only leads up to his moment of might-be glory, but finds its way into every question he answers. If you’re a skeptic, the whole thing is a hysterically illogical wave of coincidental overdrive. But if you can just buy into it, “Millionaire” is a great life story, a great love story, and a fantastic mystery that maintains the spirit of those first 30 seconds almost the whole way though. (The closing credits are pretty cool, too, so stick around.)
Extras: Director/Patel commentary, writer/producer commentary, deleted scenes, making-of feature, music video.

Tell No One (NR, 2006, Music Box Films)
The last time Alexandre (François Cluzet) saw his wife (Marie-Josée Croze), she was walking away from an argument they had. The last time he heard her, she was screaming for his help. And for the eight years that followed, Alexandre mourned his dead wife while fighting the glares of authorities who don’t understand how he survived being knocked into the water, unconscious, by the supposed killer. Then — and this is the crazy part — his wife e-mails him. Maybe. “Tell No One” would be a better ride if you didn’t know that last part in advance. But Music Box wants to sell some DVDs, so there it is, laid bare on the cover. Fortunately, it ultimately matters little. “TNO’s” first hour basically leads up to what the box told you first, but it does so with a compelling setting and characters interesting enough to make even the spoiled bits engrossing. Then, the second hour happens, and things just get good. The e-mail brings with it additional skeletons, with those skeletons bring complications even the box art can’t predict. Naturally, there’s also the matter of that e-mail and who may or may not have sent it. “TNO” takes the suspense thriller playbook and generally follows its blueprints, but the simple combination of that good first hour, a unique twist and the fallout that results is all the film needs to melt the minutes away. In French with English subtitles (decent English dub available).
Extras: Deleted scenes, outtakes.

Killer at Large (NR, 2009, Disinformation Company)
Hey everybody, guess what? There’s this thing called obesity, and it’s killing people slowly. Heard of it? Of course you have: It’s a mass media staple — an endless well from which reporters can retrieve all manner of scary images and threats. Initially, “Killer at Large” seems interested in the same empty entertainment, kicking off with footage of a 12-year-old girl undergoing liposuction surgery and following with completely unappetizing images of what obesity-powered diabetes can do to a person’s foot. Fortunately, covert morbid entertainment isn’t all that’s on the menu. “Large” devotes acceptable amounts of time to lesser-discussed causes of obesity, including a detailed rundown of the role stress plays in undermining diet and exercise. It discusses the economics of eating healthily versus unhealthily. It also devotes considerable time to the epidemic of sedentary kids, tossing out some funny-if-they-weren’t-depressing numbers that, even with all we know, might open some eyes. “Large” jumps without pattern between numerous subjects, causes and controversies, and some — particularly, the damnation of politicians’ inability to do what parents should be doing anyway — land with a thud. More than not, though, it addresses good, smart points. It’s silly to pretend adults who need to see “Large” the most will ever even know it exists. But if educators get their hands on it, “Large” has genuine legs as an invaluable educational tool.
Extras: Condensed (45-minute) educational cut, commentary, deleted scenes, extended footage of a scene from the film, premiere footage.

Fling (R, 2008, Peace Arch)
Welcome to Samantha’s (Courtney Ford) and Mason’s (Steve Sandvoss) open relationship, which appears continually on the brink of disaster during the “tell me one thing, show me another” scenes that comprise “Fling’s” opening act. “Fling” as a film seems destined to follow the same path — hot and happy one minute, cold and anguished another, with pages of solid dialogue undermined by the completely unnecessary presence of a shaky camera and regular blasts of unintentionally amusing in-your-face-itude. On some level, that never lets up. Fortunately, despite threats to the contrary, it also never overwhelms the film, which quite surprisingly manages to grow into all that intensity. “Fling” is, in the end, an overwrought but pretty intelligent dissection of the impossible dream that is a loving relationship without borders. An ability to take interest in Samantha and Mason without necessarily liking them is probably a requisite, but “Fling” deserves credit for making that seemingly impossible task very possible. Brandon Routh, Shoshana Bush and Nick Wechsler also star.
Extras: Director commentary, behind-the-scenes feature, video vignettes, deleted scenes, digital copy.

The Other End of the Line (PG-13, 2008, MGM)
Give “The Other End of the Line” some points for setting an original table. It takes two uniquely modern problems — identity theft (Jesse Metcalfe as the victimized New Yorker) and outsourcing (Shriya as a credit card call center employee who works in India but masquerades as a San Franciscan) — and spins a potential relationship from their chance tele-encounter. Too bad “Line” only has old solutions to these new problems. Things begin promisingly and with style, but the film simply can’t help itself as it rushes through the interesting setup and jumps into a bed of the same old romantic comedy clichés, complete with familiar misunderstandings you can spot a mile away. That doesn’t make “Line” a total wash, if only because Shriya creates an instantly likable character and does absolutely nothing to undermine that as the story progresses. Metcalfe, on the other hand, is trapped in his role — stuck playing just another not-quite leading man who isn’t nearly as charming and unpredictable as he thinks he is. Unfortunately, for the same reasons, neither is “Line.” No extras.

Marley & Me (PG, 2008, Fox)
“Marley & Me” worked as a book (and an audio book, for those averse to reading) because it was page upon page of a man recounting, affectionately and in great detail, the life and times of the ridiculously misbehaving dog he very obviously loved. So it bears asking: Where’d that dog go when this movie was made? It’s bad enough that “Marley & Me” spends considerably more time on Marley’s owners (Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson) than the dog everyone paid to see. But a long 45 minutes pass before we even see Marley as anything but a nuisance, and it’s another half hour before we see any proof that Marley brought his family any joy at all. In both cases, the moments last less than a moment, and then it’s back to the entire world being mad at Marley in ways that usually aren’t funny and often don’t even seem intended to be funny. Only with 25 minutes to go does “M&M” find something resembling a soul, but it’s really just a device to jerk audiences around as Marley deals with his own mortality. In the proper context, it’s a sweet comedown any respectable dog lover will completely understand. But watching a family pay tear-streaked respect to a dog they spent almost the entire film treating as a despised thorn in their cold sides rings insultingly hollow. “M&M” doubtlessly was made with only good intentions, but it’s a horrendously manipulative misfire. Even a bad dog like Marley deserves better than a film that treats him like an uninvited guest instead of the star.
Extras: Deleted scenes, three behind-the-scenes features, animal adoption feature, fan contest finalists’ videos, bloopers.

Bolt (PG, 2008, Disney)
If you’ve ever watched a dog on film and wondered what’s going through his or her head while everyone else plays pretend, the premise of “Bolt” — about a Hollywood dog who has no idea his fictional powers aren’t real — is immediately engaging. You probably can venture a guess as to which twists will set the film in motion and sustain it for 96 minutes, but that hardly matters. “Bolt” counters every threat of predictability with some truly magnificent, Pixar-esque character design. Bolt himself is a magnetically adorable dog, and the anthropomorphic supporting players who cross his path — be they other dogs, cats, pigeons or a scene-stealing hamster named Rhino — are gifts to the world of animated animal design. Every last expression is inspired, and many of them make “Bolt” as genuinely funny when no one’s saying anything as it is when the script’s best lines are being read. As expected, “Bolt” cashes in all that hilarity and adorability for one giant pull at the heartstrings toward the film’s conclusion. But given how high the deck is stacked by that point, such a predictable turn is not only unstoppable, but entirely allowable. John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell and James Lipton, among others, lend their voices.
Extras: New short starring Rhino, deleted scenes (with director intros), four behind-the-scenes features, DVD game, art gallery, music video, digital copy.

Quantum of Solace (R, 2008, MGM)
The Jack Bauerification of James Bond that began with a bang in “Casino Royale” is now complete in “Quantum of Solace,” which carries “Royale’s” baggage into a brand-new international conspiracy. The details of that escapade provide a basis and a means, and Bond responds in kind by pulling off a new array of amazingly timely stunts in some beautiful new environments. But more than any of that, “Solace’s” true currency is the continued vivisection of a character that previously knew no defect. Craig’s Bond is crafty, quick-witted and as good with a woman as he is a drink, but he’s also bloody, reckless and prone to sloppy, impulsive behavior that gets other people killed. In “Solace,” that puts him simultaneously at odds with adversaries, employers and numerous in-betweens, and with respect to some top-shelf boat chases and shootouts, its the uncomfortable stare-downs with the people he wants to trust — and who want so badly to return the favor — that really lights this film’s fire. Judi Dench, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Olga Kurylenko, Gemma Arterton and Giancarlo Giannini also star.
Extras: Eight behind-the-scenes video crew files, six behind-the-scenes features, music video.

Gardens of the Night (R, 2008, City Lights)
During its first scene, “Gardens of the Night” introduces us to Leslie (Gillian Jacobs), a teenager who, by her own account, has two dead parents, a brother and an uncle who cared for both of them. Shortly after, we’re back in time, and eight-year-old Leslie (Ryan Simpkins) is walking to school when a neighbor (Tom Arnold) asks her if she’s seen his lost dog. “Night” sets this table so effectively that even with the knowledge that Leslie is alive and well years later, a torrent of dread rushes in almost the moment this encounter begins. It doesn’t necessary let up anytime afterward, either. “Night” travels back and forth in time to answer all the questions laid out by that first scene, and at no point, on either side, does it take the easy way out or give in to needless exploitation. By tastefully but gustily toeing a smart, fragile line all the way to the end, it paints an absolutely believable (and, therefore, unsettling without help) scenario of how a perfectly picturesque childhood can go off the rails — and, hopefully, back on track before it’s too late. “Night” lays bare the lines of Leslie’s story in its first act, but it’s what lies between them that provides the film’s many revelations.
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, alternate ending, statistics, making-of documentary, photo gallery.

Andy Richter Controls the Universe (NR, 2002, CBS/Paramount)
Television can be a cruel racket, with months of casting, writing and filming flushed down the toilet if a show makes a rocky first impression and isn’t given time to settle in. Such is the sad plight of “Andy Richter Controls the Universe,” which needed just about all of its rocky first episode to lay the ground rules of is concept: Andy (Richter) writes technical manuals, counts two co-workers (Paget Brewster, James Patrick Stuart) among his best friends, has a crush on the new receptionist (Irene Molloy), talks to the company’s dead founder (John Bliss), and now has to share an office with the neurotic new guy (Jonathan Slavin). Also, Andy has a wild imagination, which leads to the same kind of hallucinations Zach Braff experiences on “Scrubs.” If you like that show’s dry but whimsically awkward sense of humor, you’ll almost certainly like “Universe,” which marches to the same beat, right down to the missing laugh track. Additionally, once you get past the uneven first episode — which, unfortunately, few viewers did back in 2002 — the show’s genius starts to shine through. Just be prepared to do a double take on disc one: What appears to be the second episode (even labeled as such) inexplicably appears fourth on the DVD, and it introduces two characters you already met two episodes prior.
Contents: 19 episodes (five previously unaired), plus commentary and two behind-the-scenes features.

The Cake Eaters (R, 2008, Screen Media)
“The Cake Eaters” is the story of two people — or rather, multiples of two people. There’s Georgia (Kristen Stewart), a high school who suffers from a degenerative muscular disorder, and Beagle (Aaron Stanford), a socially awkward twentysomething who works in her high school’s cafeteria. There’s Beagle’s brother Guy (Jayce Bartok), who fled town three years ago without warning, and there’s Stephanie (Miriam Shor), the woman he left behind. That’s the tip of the iceberg, and predictably, these and other twosomes increasingly mesh as “Eaters” progresses. All of it amounts to basically a single contained fire burning between two families and a few peripheral characters, and little of it says anything about the world at large or even the world one block over. In that sense, “Eaters” feels like the beginnings of a good television drama — a lot of well-designed characters living in their own worlds while slowly being pulled across each other’s paths. But it also stands on its own as a film — one without grand ambitions, perhaps, but with satisfying results all the same. Bruce Dern, Elizabeth Ashley, Talia Balsam, Jesse L. Martin and Melissa Leo also star.
Extras: Director commentary, cast interviews, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.

New York City Serenade (R, 2007, Anchor Bay)
Sneakily — or more likely, accidentally — “New York City Serenade” asks a good question: When you have a good script about mostly rotten people, what is the net result on the entertainment scale? In one corner, we have Owen (Freddie Prinze Jr.), a very small-time filmmaker with the charisma of a butter knife. On the other side: His inexplicable best friend Ray (Chris Klein), who continually lands Owen into all levels of trouble and whose charms could work only in the land of fiction. Together, the two are insufferably ill-equipped to garner anybody’s sympathies, and the characters charged with propping them up (Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Ben Schwartz, Heather Bucha, Alexander Chaplin and Wallace Shawn) either fall into the same boat or aren’t given enough screen time to make us gravitate to them. The only character who garners any real compassion is a four-year-old girl (Sophie Nyweide) who makes the most of the few minutes she gets to basically validate our feelings about everybody else. Yet, despite all this, “Serenade” really is a pretty good film. It achieves the level of aggravation it achieves by designing compelling situations around characters that, obnoxious though they may be, are sketched awfully well. Whether that sounds like entertaining or punishing, though, is your call to make.
Extra: Writer/director/supporting cast commentary, behind-the-scenes feature.

Let the Right One In (R, 2008, Magnet)
You always remember your first crush — especially if, like the object of Oskar’s (Kåre Hedebrant) affection, she (Lina Leandersson) only comes out at night and her arrival coincides with a series of gruesome murders and unexplainable disappearances. Fortunately for 12-year-old vampire Eli, Oskar is too busy taking lumps from a flock of local bullies to jump to any conclusions on his own, and a completely strange friendship is born. The duel plights, to say nothing of the sweet “boy likes vampire, vampire likes boy” angle, sets the table for a most unusual story about a creature of the night. “Let the Right One in” doesn’t flinch at the opportunity, simultaneously respecting traditions and conventions from two very different kinds of films while achieving a precious and unsettling tone that’s uniquely its own. That places “LTROI” far outside the typical horror film bounds, and those who hold it to those standards might find themselves turned off by the deliberate pace and very gradual burn that defines the film’s early going. But it all pays off — not only with a back half that cashes in everything the first half sets up, but with a magnificent conclusion that pays better respect to the genre than most of those other movies put together. In Swedish with English subtitles, but a pretty good English dub is available.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature, photo/poster galleries.

I’ve Loved You so Long (PG-13, 2008, Sony Pictures Classics)
Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Léa (Elsa Zylberstein) are sisters, and all we really know beyond that, as “I’ve Loved You so Long” gets going, is that the two haven’t seen each other in an unconventionally long time. “Long” naturally delves into what made things the way they are, and even hinting at the cause of that separation would spoil a great deal of the discovery. Unfortunately, hiding those spoilers also makes it hard to avoid generic praise when commending what “Long” does with the scenario and where, outside of a few trite and predictable junctures, it goes from there. More than a setup to a climax, “Long” is a comedown and a deconstruction — a surprising early revelation that gives way to some ugly, uncomfortable but completely necessary human fallout. That isn’t a storytelling technique everyone will appreciate, but it is one “Long” does especially well. In French with English subtitles, but a less-than-spectacular English dub (featuring Thomas’ voice) also is available.
Extra: Deleted scenes (with commentary).

The Village Barbershop (NR, 2007, Monterey Video)
Small-time Reno barber Art Leroldi (John Ratzenberger) isn’t exactly a pro when it comes to facing loss head-on, so he has quite the hill to climb when his business partner and best friend passes away and leaves him wading alone through a sea of bills and past-due notices. On the other side of the story coin sits Gloria (Shelly Cole), an increasingly desperate single mom-to-be who needs some kind of financial stability as soon as possible. If you can put two and two together, you likely can guess how these two figure into each other’s lives. That goes as well for a few of “The Village Barbershop’s” other faces, pieces and instances, which pop up at somewhat predictable times and take well-traveled roads to destinations that won’t exactly blow anybody’s mind. Problem? Maybe, maybe not. As simple-minded as “Barbershop” frequently portends to be, it’s an extremely pleasant kind of simple-mindedness that’s mindful of the details. Art’s story isn’t bursting with shock in intrigue, but the mannerisms that tell the story make him worth watching. That goes triple for Cole, whose amusing demeanor would steal the movie outright if the script didn’t delegate so effectively between the two. Amo Glick, George McRae and Cindy Pickett also star.
Extras: Feature on Reno, director Q&A, barbering history and trivia, actor bios.

Head Case: Season 1 (NR, 2007, Starz/Anchor Bay)
Dr. Elizabeth Goode (Alexandra Wentworth) has, in spite of herself, built a plush career for herself as a therapist to Hollywood’s rich and famous. How — or perhaps why — isn’t so clear. Goode’s maddening insecurity propels her to find a way to insert her own insatiable concerns in the middle of her clients’ equally incurable neuroses, and both parties seem too oblivious to arrive at that rather obviously problematic conclusion and do anything to fix it. But that’s their problem. Ours rests entirely on whether “Head Case,” which employs the same unscripted comedic stylings of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Christopher Guest’s filmography, can make us laugh the same way those gems do. Alas, “Case” rarely rises to that level, and there are times, depending on who is guest-starring on Goode’s couch, where the show falls absolutely on its face. Most of the time, though, “Case” rides somewhere in the middle — rarely laugh-out-loud hilarious, but consistently amusing enough to merit recommendation. The mile-long list of recognizable guest stars (David Alan Grier, James Denton, Lea Thompson, Richard Kind, Christopher Lloyd, Ahmet Zappa and quite a few more) doesn’t hurt, either. Michelle Arthur, Steve Landesberg, Rob Benedict, Aris Alvarado and Channon Roe join Wentworth in the main cast.
Contents: Eight episodes, plus bonus shorts, bloopers and a making-of feature.

Punisher: War Zone: 2-Disc Special Edition (R, 2008, Lions Gate)
If at first you don’t succeed (1989), and if you fail again after that (2004), try again. “Punisher: War Zone” marks the third attempt in two decades to accomplish the presumably brainless task of converting a comic book about a violent but benevolent vigilante on a vengeance-filled warpath, and for serious fans who crave a faithful tribute to the comic, it marks the third failure. For the rest of us, the results will vary a little more. If, for instance, you crave a smart deconstruction of Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) and the means of and methods to his contained madness, you probably should wait another few years and see if someone gives this a fourth try. If, however, you enjoy movies that are so bad as to be good, “War Zone” probably isn’t to be missed. Stevenson is the best fit yet for Castle’s cinematic shoes, but the script he’s given is another matter entirely, chock full of hilariously campy dialogue and choice excerpts from the big book of Hollywood clichés. Meanwhile, a cast of really good actors (Doug Hutchison, Wayne Knight, Colin Salmon, Dash Mihok) have a blast collecting easy paychecks, and Dominic West outdoes himself with the goofiest Italian accent since Bob Hoskins took on Super Mario. Throw in some hysterically over-the-top violence, and “War Zone” emerges as a must-see for your next group movie night — a complete failure of the very best kind.
Extras: Director/crew commentary, five behind-the-scenes features, digital copy.

Rachel Getting Married (R, 2008, Sony Pictures Classics)
“Rachel Getting Married” is, in fact and quite exhaustively, about Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) getting married. It’s also about all such a marriage entails, including the reception, the ceremony, the rehearsal dinner, final preparations, and Rachel’s sister Kym (Anne Hathaway), who has received a brief reprieve from rehab to drop all sorts of accidental and behavioral bombs on the entire proceeding. Wondering why Kym is in rehab? Don’t worry; you’ll find out. “Married’s” 113-minute runtime has a serious infatuation with introspection, dedicating as much time to pure mundanity as it gives to the deconstruction of Kym, her bride-to-be sister and various members of both wedding parties, including characters you’ll never really meet who nonetheless command multiple minutes of screen time. Seriously, take heed: If movies that take their sweet time irritate you, “Married” will institutionalize you. But that’s the tack this film takes, and the upshot is that, if you can tolerate (or better yet, appreciate) such behavior, you almost doubtlessly will find yourself absorbed by it as well. “Married” leaves little to the imagination, but it also doesn’t close itself off to anyone, and the degree to which you’ll feel like you know the Buchmans and their guests after two hours’ time is a serious testament to the film’s methods. Bill Irwin, Tunde Adebimpe, Mather Zickel, Anna Deavere Smith, Debra Winger also star.
Extras: Filmmaker commentary, cast commentary, deleted scenes, cast/crew Q&A, two behind-the-scenes features.

Milk (R, 2008, Focus/Universal)
Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) said it himself: The movement is the candidate, not him. In “Milk” — a true story based on events that shook up San Francisco in the 1970s — that movement is equal basic rights for gay Americans. On paper, the whole exercise seems pretty rote: Tell the story of how a do-nothing fortysomething became the first openly gay man elected to major public office, and illustrate the predictable ways that rise transformed the environment that bore witness to it. But as with any good biopic — and, in a way, like Harvey Milk himself — “Milk” isn’t just about the guy whose name appears on the box or the causes he represents. The film does a fine job of illustrating both, but its real shining glory is the credence it lends to that old adage about it never being too late to change lives, including your own. Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco and Alison Pill also star.
Extras: Deleted scenes, Milk retrospective, two behind-the-scenes features.

Happy-Go-Lucky (R, 2008, Miramax)
There certainly is some truth in advertising at work with “Happy-Go-Lucky,” which is a movie more in the technical sense than the traditional sense. “Lucky” is about Poppy (Sally Hawkins), a schoolteacher whose clumsy disposition and penchant for social awkwardness is matched only by her inhumanly cheerful demeanor. She drives her driving instructor (Eddie Marsan) crazy, chats up random strangers who may not necessarily talk back, puzzles a dancing instructor (Karina Fernandez) to her own great delight, and basically roars through life while her contemporaries grumble, shrug and occasionally blow a vein. And that, for the most part, is all “Lucky” is about. Stuff absolutely happens, but it isn’t necessarily the stuff that matters so much as how the characters deal with it. That’s the beauty of the whole thing, too. Find Poppy’s demeanor infectious and her brand of comedy hilarious, and you can simply ride “Lucky” out in awe of her. On the other hand, if she aggravates you to no end, the film offers no shortage of characters through which you can see those frustrations materialize. And if you find yourself rooting for one side versus the other, fear not: While “Lucky” isn’t overtly plot-driven, it sneaks a story arc in there, and that arc provides a startling payoff for both sides. Sarah Niles, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin, Andrea Riseborough, Sinead Matthews and Kate O’Flynn also star.
Extras: Director commentary, two behind-the-scenes features.

Role Models: Unrated (NR, 2008, Universal)
These are special times for the comedy genre — so much so, in fact, that it’s easy to take a film for granted when it has your usual assortment of misbehaving male leads (Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott, in this case) and some assortment of Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch and Kerri Kenney doing what they reliably do. “Role Models” doesn’t help itself with its premise, either. Danny (Rudd) and Wheeler (Scott) have to take on big brother roles in order to pay their debt to society and avoid jail time, and haven’t we gone down this road a thousand times already? And is anyone surprised that one of the little brothers (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is a teenage geek while the other is a smack-talking little nightmare (Bobb’e J. Thompson)? Of course not, but it doesn’t really matter. “Models” uses its plot as a cheap means more than an end, and that’s good enough to make way for a funny script and let a bunch of funny actors do what they do so well. Everything here — from the gaggle of Medieval role-playing nerds to the wisecracking authority figure with a hysterically checkered past (Lynch, of course) — has been done elsewhere, but “Models” attacks these tire ideas with a special level of focus that makes them its own.
Extras: Writer/director commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, three behind-the-scenes features, bloopers.

Marie and Bruce (R, 2004, Weinstein Company)
A script written for a play is different than a script written for a movie, and even if you can’t explain the differences, it doesn’t take a genius to spot them. That much is evident during “Marie and Bruce’s” toxic nine-minute opening spree, which finds Marie (Julianne Moore) verbally savaging a seemingly socially clueless husband (Matthew Broderick) who very visibly has driven her past the point of intolerant. The gradual massacre of a marriage is unmistakable fodder for storytelling in any medium, and while “Bruce” piles it on thick early on, a little intelligent blowback could have made the film work on some darkly comic level. But “Bruce” has no such aspiration. Instead, it just gets weird — inaccessibly, puzzlingly weird, climaxing with an unbearably long party scene that’s punctuated by dream sequences and the agonizing ramblings of party guests in which we’re covertly trained to take zero interest. Soon, it’s apparent “Bruce’s” dialogue isn’t merely a bad fit for a movie, but just plain bad. No one talks like this, on stage or on film, and “Bruce” offers 91 minutes’ worth of reasons why. No extras.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (PG-13, 2008, Miramax)
The tagline — “Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us” — sure reads like light, feel-good philosophy. At the outset, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” seems poised to embrace it, too. Bored son (Asa Butterfield) of Nazi solder (David Thewlis) meets Jewish boy (Jack Scanlon) living in concentration camp, the two share words through a fence that divides them, and a curious friendship built on blissful ignorance develops. For a considerable majority of its running time, this is the story “Pajamas” seems to be telling, interspersing simple exchanges between two kids with an occasionally bold but generally benign exploration of what happens when a soldier’s orders and his family start butting heads. The whole thing is a bit underwhelming — perhaps due to the kids’ limited face time, or perhaps because the influx of British accents keeps denting the illusion. But it’s also fairly harmless … until it isn’t. It’s safe to assume “Pajamas” was made with the best of intentions, and perhaps what happens at the end of the film is a device meant to convey the full weight of what, up until then, was more discussed than addressed. But if you haven’t read the book and found yourself drawn to the film because of that hopeful tagline or the saccharine box art featuring two innocent kids sitting in a grassy field, the last impression “Pajamas” leaves is a chilling slap to the face. The real theme at play is what happens to people the moment they realize they’ve made a mistake they can’t unmake. Once you see where “Pajamas'” final minutes are headed, you might know firsthand what that’s like.
Extras: Writer/director/author commentary, deleted scenes (with commentary), behind-the-scenes feature.

Dead in 3 Days (R, 2006, Dimension Extreme)
Say, have you ever heard the one about the group of not-entirely-likable teens (Sabrina Reiter, Michael Steinocher, Laurence Rupp, Julia Rosa Stöckl, Nadja Vogel) who live in a quiet town that suddenly falls prey to an unknown killer bent on picking them off? Yes, you have, and if you check out “Dead in 3 Days,” you will again. The film’s title is explained in short order, but beyond that little gimmick (which won’t be spoiled here), “Days” appears headed down the same tired path entirely too many other horror films have taken. But as soon as that sobering revelation appears to accrue merit, a little twist gives “Days” just enough promise and wiggle room to keep it interesting and add some dimension to a cast of victims who become more interesting (and even a little likable) as time passes. Little wrinkles like this aren’t enough to make “Days” a game-changer, but they do give the film enough personal flavor to make the outcome worth one’s engagement. What the story can’t do, the characters can, and that’s almost more of an accomplishment given how many horror films utterly fail in that department. In German with English subtitles and an optional English dub. No extras.

Australia (PG-13, 2008, Fox)
Was Fox really surprised that a 165-minute Baz Luhrmann period piece — about a cattle driver (Hugh Jackman) and a socialite (Nicole Kidman), no less — couldn’t pack theaters? No matter: It’s moot now, and if you developed a passing interest in “Australia” but lack the attention span required to experience it in theaters, you’re now cleared to enjoy it in pieces on DVD. But even with the comfort of a DVD remote close at hand, it’s hard to imagine why — beyond the complete self-indulgence of an already self-indulgent filmmaker paying tribute to both his homeland and cinema’s golden age — this film runs so long. “Australia” is, in the tradition of that era’s most momentous films, bulging with romance, drama, action, suspense and most every other adjective one can cram into a trailer. But it’s equally rigged with downtime and detours that serve only to elongate slow marches to predictable conclusions. Like any Luhrmann labor of love, “Australia” has some moments of true cinematic wonder, and feel-good scenes you see coming a mile away can still make one feel good if painted with the stylish, loving strokes Luhrmann so expertly dishes out. Just be prepared to take the good with the banal — and perhaps take a break altogether — if you want to bear witness to those moments. Brandon Walters, Bryan Brown and David Wenham, among others, also star.
Extra: Deleted scenes.

Weapons (NR, 2008, Lions Gate)
Hungry for a dichotomy? How about a character film with no truly likable characters? That’s the dilemma “Weapons” — which uses multiple characters’ (Nick Cannon, Paul Dano, Mark Webber, Regine Nehy) perspectives to explain the run-up to a revenge killing we witness fairly early on — faces. Centering the story around a group of teens who range from listless to objectionable to repulsive presents something of an uphill battle, and the predictable arrival of certain misunderstandings merely compounds whatever outrage one might feel in the first place. But that, as you might have guessed, is the idea. “Weapons'” characters aren’t pretty, but they are thoroughly sketched, and the film uses all that detailed ugliness to piece together a picture of hopeless entanglement that’s bigger than any single one of them. That, in turn, translates into a relentlessly tense story that expertly feeds on the same nastiness that makes you want to turn it off. Good luck doing that, by the way, once you see what happens in the very first scene. Riley Smith, Jade Yorker, Amy Ferguson and Brandon Smith also star. No extras.

Lake City (R, 2008, Screen Media)
One bum character is all it takes sometimes to undermine a scene, regardless of who else is sharing that scene and what else is going on. Unfortunately for “Lake City,” its downer character also happens to be its main character — a mopey recovering alcoholic named Billy (Troy Garity) who, for reasons unknown as the movie begins, is fleeing a whole mess of bad news while watching after a child (Colin Ford) who purportedly isn’t his. “City” has a lot going for it. The aforementioned mess becomes more interesting as details reveal themselves, in no small part due to Dave Matthews’ (yes, that Dave Matthews) excellent turn as the lynchpin of the whole thing. A second set of unraveling mysteries involving Billy and his mother (Sissy Spacek) is similarly interesting. But “City” can’t make the leap from interesting to engrossing because it’s saddled with a central character whose mile-long face sucks the air out of every room it enters and keeps us at bay whenever the film creates an opening for our sympathies. The sum total is a pretty good movie, but also one that suffers from the effect of unfinished business — be it because too many plotlines get jammed together or because a crucial ingredient of each of them completely misses the empathetic mark. Rebecca Romijn and Drea de Matteo also star. No extras.

The Axe in the Attic (NR, 2007, Indiepix)
Sometimes, all that separates a documentary from greatness is interference from the very people making it. “The Axe in the Attic,” which examines multiple facets of the local and national fallout after Hurricane Katrina, suffers from this complex more explicitly than most. The initial concept — traveling from the Northeast on down and letting survivors tell their story — is very obviously sound, and when “Attic” just lets that happen, the results are a mix of intimate, sad, stirring and even uplifting. Unfortunately, filmmakers Ed Pincus and Lucia Small absolutely cannot resist getting in the picture. They talk down to some subjects, have conversations with each other that belong on the cutting room floor, too often make the movie about them, and intrude on the images they film by preaching at viewers who don’t need to be told what the film has the capacity to just shut up and show. It’s as if Pincus and Small can’t see what’s in front of them and are trying to add sizzle to a story that would be better served by the humanity that sneaks through. “Attic’s” best scenes make it ostensibly easy to recommend, but the infuriating intrusions, which only grow as the film soldiers on, inspire the complete opposite reaction. In other words, this call is up to you.
Extras: Filmmakers commentary and update, deleted scenes, two short films, film festival Q&A footage, interactive journey map.

In the Electric Mist (R, 2008, Image Entertainment)
This, on paper, should work. Actually, it already does: “In the Electric Mist” is based on one of James Lee Burke’s many Dave Robicheaux (Tommy Lee Jones) novels, and the sum total of all those pages is a heavily fleshed-out main character in the capable hands of an actor fit to communicate his every nuance. But while Robicheaux’s character is a topic of consistent scrutiny, “Mist” is more interested in the murders — some recent, one in particular dating back some 40 years — that are buried beneath a tangle of secrets, corruption and even mob influence. That’s a playground of dependable movie themes. But “Mist” navigates through it with the dry, deliberate pace of a police procedural, spending a considerable amount of time building up the flavor of the New Orleans setting and, at least during the early going, doing a whole lot more telling than showing. That probably makes for a good read, but be it through dry writing or dry acting from a loaded cast (John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly Macdonald, Mary Steenburgen), it falls completely flat in this incarnation. Robicheaux’s delusional conversations with dead Confederate soldiers, meanwhile, come off as completely laughable, and by the time everything clicks and “Mist” heats up, it’s hard to care about the consequences at hand. No extras.