5 More Recent DVD Releases

In a diligent effort to complete my 2008 Top Ten Film List, I've been burning through the films. I like to make a Top Ten list every year to keep track of this thing called life. It's easier to remember things (feelings, situations, stages, etc.) if you write things down, and I've found that movies work best for me. Lawyer reviewed the following films earlier and goes into plot points and the specifics more thoroughly, but I thought I would throw a few thoughts out there. Click below for Frozen River, Ghost Town, Priceless, Transsiberian, and Happy-Go-Lucky. Surprisingly, the one I thought I would like least, I liked best.

Frozen River
Melissa Leo’s excellent performance and Courtney Hunt’s very solid script were rightfully nominated for Oscars. The digital camera is distracting and there are too many close-ups of the actor’s faces. I liked the brother relationship and the fact the father is left out of the film, especially at the end. I loved the fact that it shows that America remains the land of opportunity for much of the world, despite all the naysayers. Almost a B+ but the director forgets the icy landscapes after the first couple minutes and the story plays out too conventionally. It’s frustrating to watch poor people buy big screen TVs and cell phones with all the money they have, saving nothing for the future. Lawyer liked it better. B

Ghost Town


Lawyer is basically right in his review. Ricky Gervais’s curmudgeonly charm is in full effect and some consistent tone issues aside, the film works for what it is – especially the sugar sweet ending. Those who aren’t convinced of the superiority of Blu-ray should check out the stunning, crystal clear New York buildings on this disc. B



Priceless
Priest nailed it when he called it a reworking of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (the photo is an obvious homage) in the comments section of Lawyer’s review. Lead actor Gad Elmaleh is hopelessly outmatched by Audrey Tautou, creating an imbalance that upsets the film. He’s too goofy looking to believe she would fall for him. It’s enjoyable for the most part, but it adds up to very little. I don’t blink when Tautou is on screen. B

Transsiberian


Lawyer’s review is correct. A good, solid, tense film about marriage, fidelity, and Russian mobsters. Kate Mara’s torture scene is pretty rough, though. Emily Mortimer carries the film beautifully but Woody Harrelson is kinda miscast. Of course, Ben Kingsley is great as a Russian cop. B+




Happy-Go-Lucky
I don’t know if it’s better than Vera Drake (125 minutes) or Secrets and Lies (136 minutes) or Naked (131 minutes), but Happy-Go-Lucky is the first Mike Leigh film I would see again if forced to choose. I expected to find Sally Hawkins irrepressible perkiness and positivity annoying, but thought it was refreshing instead. I loved Eddie Marsan’s character and related to his views quite a bit. His stance on multi-culturalism rang true for me. Leigh finally gets a film under 2 hours, but he still is in love with his script too much and should have cut the scene with the homeless guy. There are other scenes showing Poppy’s generosity better and the homeless guy scene brought the film to a halt and made her look foolish. Still, the non-stop banter was reminscent of a good screwball comedy and the serious stuff worked just as well. Hawkins was robbed of an Oscar nomination – she made it look too easy. An excellent shot to make my final top ten (The Wrestler's DVD release is 4/21). See Lawyer’s thoughts here. B+