New On DVD – August 4, 2009
Posted August 4, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Soloist CityNews.ca Pick of the Week – After missing The Soloist in the theatre (and hearing mainly bad reviews) I lost interest and forgot all about it. To my surprise it was a really decent film. Based on a true story, Robert Downey Jr. plays Steve Lopez, an L.A. Times columnist who finds a brilliant, homeless street musician (Jamie Foxx) and writes a series of articles on him. Downey Jr. and Foxx really carry the film and both give Oscar-worthy performances. Blu-ray and DVD version include commentary with director Joe Wright, a making of featurette and deleted scenes. Film *** out of 5 stars. Blu-ray/DVD *** out of 5 stars.
Race to Witch Mountain (Blu-ray) – A fun family film starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as a Las Vegas taxi driver who picks up two kids that happen to be aliens (interview with young stars AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig below). Although the campy 1975 original Escape to Witch Mountain is still a great watch this update is a much needed improvement. As always Disney really gets consumer needs and includes a regular DVD plus a digital copy of the film along with the Blu-ray release. Special features include deleted scenes, bloopers and a featurette on the hidden references of the original film. Film *** out of 5 stars. Blu-ray **** out of 5 stars.
Obsessed – Horrible thriller starring Beyonce Knowles and Ali Larter. Better off watching the similar 1993 Lara Flynn Boyle film The Temp. Special featurettes include Girl Fight!, Playing Together Nicely and Obsessed: Dressed to Kill. Film * out of 5 stars. DVD ** out of 5 stars.
Top image: Still from The Soloist. Courtresy Paramount Pictures.
