What to Watch: This Week on DVD and Blu-Ray January 17, 2012
Slim pickings this week my friends. We’ve got one big release noteworthy for the Golden Globes it was nominated for and for being the film for which Gorgeous George did not win. We’ve also got two releases that by all accounts were just plain dreadful, one niche film starring no one you’ve ever heard of but, that got surprisingly good reviews and another beautiful foreign art film that will be difficult to find.
The Ides of March, based on Beau Willimon’s play “Farragut North”, is about an idealistic staffer(Ryan Gosling) for a newbie presidential candidate (George Clooney) who gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Also starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (who just earned a BAFTA nomination for the role), Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti, Marissa Tomei, Geoffrey Wright and Max Minghella, it was directed by Clooney and written by the BAFTA nominated team of Clooney, Willimon and Grant Heslov. I recommend this one. If you like political dramas like All the President’s Men, you’ll like it (and supposedly it was based on Howard Dean’s Presidential run.)
Special Features:
Commentary with George Clooney and Grant Heslov
Developing the Campaign: The Origin of The Ides of March
Believe: George Clooney
On The Campaign: The Cast of The Ides Of March
What Does a Political Consultant Do?
Abduction starring Twi-hard heart-throb Taylor Lautner, is a thriller centered on a young man who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website. It was a sort male version of Hanna.
Critics drubbed it but, director John Singleton (Four Brothers, Shaft, Boyz n the Hood, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Rosewood) does know how to do action, I'll give him that.
Special Features:
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Abduction Application
Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star is about a small town grocery bagger, going nowhere in life until he discovers that his conservative parents were once adult film stars! Armed with the belief that he has found his destiny, Bucky packs up and heads out to LA, hoping to follow in his parents footsteps. Also starring Christina Ricci, Don Johnson and Stephen Dorff. Special Features: Laughter Is Contagious
Courageous is a Christian themed film “from the writers of Fireproof and Facing the Giants comes a story about four law enforcement officers whose lives are deeply tested as they embrace their calling to serve and to protect. As crime fighters, they must face danger every day. Yet when tragedy hits close to home, they are left wrestling with their hopes, their faith, and their priorities as men. Like iron sharpening iron, the power of their friendship invites them to face their hidden struggles as fathers. It is out of this honesty that comes a life-altering decision. With action, drama, and humor, the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures embraces God's promise to "turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers". Your soul will be stirred and your heart will be challenged to be…Courageous!” Since it was made for $2M and earned almost $35M domestically, it was actually a hit. Special Features: Commentary with the Kendrick Brothers
The Mysteries of Lisbon follows a jealous countess, a wealthy businessman, and a young orphaned boy across Portugal, France, Italy and Brazil where they connect with a variety of mysterious individuals. Offical synopsis: Raul Ruiz's masterful adaptation of the eponymous nineteenth-century Portuguese novel (by Camilo Castelo Branco) evokes the complex intertwined narratives of Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens. The core story centers on Joao, the bastard child of an ill-fated romance between two members of the aristocracy who are forbidden to marry, and his quest to discover the truth of his parentage. But this is just the start of an engrossing tale that follows a multitude of characters whose fates conjoin, separate and then rejoin again over three decades in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. It stars Lea Seydoux (Robin Hood, Mission:Impossible – Ghost Protocol) Stay connected with us! Follow us on Twitter, fan us on Facebook or subscribe to our RSS feed. We would love to hear from you. |
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