Recent DVD Releases

All the following were dutifully reviewed by my collaborators during their theatrical run.

Sunshine (Original review here)
Their trip to the sun is a visual feast – I wish I saw it on the big screen. Pretty fascinating and threatening to be great until is devolves into a slasher film. One minute, you’re discussing man’s purpose in the universe and his relationship to God. The next, a knife-wielding psycho kills everyone on board. The inevitable comparisons to 2001, Solaris, and Alien don’t help much either. B

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Original review here)
The most underrated film of the year, trashed by critics and ignored by the public. Some have gone so far as to denounce Cate Blanchett’s Best Actress nomination as a knee-jerk vote. Not so – she’s pretty great here, as is Clive Owen as a patriotic pirate. Director Shekhar Kapur’s visuals are often spectacular and he holds the talky political stuff together well. B


The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Original review here)

An unforgettable visual tour-de-force by director Andrew Dominik and cinematographer Roger Deakins. Hopefully, Dominik will get many great performances with his next film instead of just one (Casey Affleck) or two (Sam Shepherd). The other actors are fine, but the staggering pictures create an imbalance. The narration is superb, probably taken verbatim from the book, but I’m not sure what they’re going for here – other than commenting on the nature of celebrity and the fickleness of the public. Terrific score from Nick Cave that gives an authentic feel. A-

Sicko (Original review here)
It’s at its best when real people are describing their horror stories about being denied health care. Equally effective is the stories from those who have denied care to others and the guilt they feel. At its worst, it’s shamelessly manipulative, undoubtedly dishonest, and hopelessly naïve. Michael Moore should be commended from trying to get everyone health care but his tactics are nauseating. Really, Mr. Moore, do you think the majority of Miami would be of Cuban descent if Castro was so great? B-

PS: Canada has their own “moral” form of euthanasia by delaying care for the elderly. Would Americans really tolerate that?
PS#2: Drug companies perform lots of good research to bring better drugs to the public, but I shouldn’t have to see 14 commercials about erectile dysfunction during a 30 minute sitcom.
PS#3: Insurance companies are a fair target. Denying necessary health care to save money belongs in the same circle of hell as child rapists.

We Own the Night (Original review here)
It’s mostly a retread of better cops and robbers movies, but comes alive during the action scenes. Robert Duvall brings a great presence as always and Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as the troubled lead, struggling to find his bearings. Mark Wahlberg should lay off cop roles for awhile, though – he’ll never top his performance in The Departed. The Russians are menacing enough, but that aspect was done so much better in Eastern Promises. B-