Recent DVD Releases

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

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
Producer-Director Judd Apatow’s successful run of films (40 Year-old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad) perfectly blended the disparate elements of raunchy humor and heartfelt sentiment. All three were about emotionally immature males struggling to grow up. In Walk Hard, Judd Apatow serves as producer and co-writer for Jake Kasdan (co-writer-director), a former collaborator on the TV series “Freaks and Geeks”. The premise is little more than a spoof of all the recent musical biopics (most notably Walk the Line). More jokes miss than hit, but there are some great moments. My favorite was when Dewey starts ripping off Bob Dylan – the lyrics are priceless. And Tim Meadows is equally great, stealing every scene he’s in. But the phallic jokes come fast and furious, averaging 3-4 per minute (and there are 3 separate instances of full frontal male nudity). This may be enough for the frathouse, but some of us expect more from our comedies these days (mostly because of Apatow). This movie drips with so much irony, it winds up drowning in it. All phallus, no heart. C+
(Click below for Sweeney Todd and Reservation Road)

Sweeney Todd – (2007)
There is some greatness to some of the musical numbers- with their odd, intersecting lines and unusual rhymes. The musical performances of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are good enough. I actually prefer Depp’s brooding here to his jack-ass portrayal of Jack Sparrow. And this is director Tim Burton best film in several years. He doesn’t go overboard with the visuals, being somewhat confined by the stage origins of the material. But I’m not the biggest fan of Broadway musicals, nor am I particularly interested in severed carotid arteries spraying blood on the walls and ceiling. The ending works better than it should, but it’s hard to get much sympathy from me after you’ve viciously murdered innocent people and served their remains in meat-pies to an unsuspecting public. B

Reservation Road – (2007)
Despite the noblest intentions of director Terry George and his actors, Reservation Road is a tough trip to take. Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly are great as the grieving parents of a boy killed by a hit-and-run driver. But Mark Ruffalo never really finds his footing as the driver. (It may have worked better if Ruffalo and Phoenix would have switched roles). This is another movie (like The Brave One) where the investigator already has a relationship with the person he’s seeking, never a credible plot point. The movie is like an extended one act play with the accident happening early on and the consequences dragged out unnecessarily for 2 hours. Unlike the great In the Bedroom (which is similar in location, theme, and plot), this movie opts for all the easy answers where love conquers all and revenge is thwarted by a swift epiphany of empathy. C+