New On DVD – February 9, 2010
Posted February 9, 2010 12:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Serious Man CityNews.ca Pick of the Week – Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a good father, husband and physics professor. It’s 1967 and he lives an ordinary life: he works, goes to synagogue and genuinely seems happy. All of that changes when a student of his tries to bribe him for a better grade. Soon after, his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) leaves him because she has fallen in love with Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), an annoying acquaintance of his. His unemployed, sickly brother Arthur (Richard Kind) takes up permanent residence on his couch and his son Danny (Aaron Wolff) is having problems with a bully and smoking copious amounts of marijuana on a regular basis. And his teenage daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is stealing from him so she can save for a nose job. On the surface A Serious Man is a black comedy about religion, knowing right from wrong and paying for your sins. But it has an underlying message that is open to interpretation. That said – I haven’t laughed as hard at a Coen Brothers film as I did while watching it and I’d put it right beside Fargo as one of the Brothers’ best. Special features include featurettes on the creative vision of the film, the sets and neighbourhoods used, and the Hebrew and Yiddish languages. Also available on Blu-ray. Film **** DVD *** (out of 5 stars).
The Time Traveler’s Wife Valentine’s Day Pick – Henry (Eric Bana) has a rare genetic disorder that allows him to travel through time. When he meets his wife Claire (Rachel McAdams) she is only six and he is from the future. Eventually they cross paths in the present, fall in love, and get married. Claire finds things aren’t as perfect as she expected because Henry can’t control his traveling and is always coming and going — leaving her alone on Christmas or in the middle of dinner. The Time Traveler’s Wife is far from perfect (the Audrey Niffenegger novel it’s based on is much better), but the chemistry between McAdams and Bana, mixed with the science-fiction aspect, makes it a very interesting and touching film to watch. Only special feature is a making-of featurette. Also available on Blu-ray. Film *** DVD ** (out of 5 stars). Note: The Time Traveler’s Wife also comes packaged with The Notebook — a much better romance starring McAdams. The two go well together and make the perfect double-feature for Valentine’s Day.
The Stepfather (Blu-ray) – Nip/Tuck‘s Dylan Walsh plays a man who hunts for widowed and divorced women in order to find the perfect family to be a part of. When the family doesn’t live up to his expectations (they never do) he kills them, changes his look, and moves to another town to start the process again. The biggest surprise about this pointless remake of the 1987 film is that it’s a pretty decent movie and Walsh’s performance is more than enough to recommend it. The Blu-ray release is clean but it’s definitely not a movie that needs to be seen in high-def. Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, and Amber Heard also star. Special features include gag reel, a making-of featurette, commentary with Walsh, Badgley, and director Nelson McCormick, plus more. Film ** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Bronson – Based on the true story of Michael Petersen (played by Tom Hardy) who was sentenced to 7 years in prison for attempting to rob a post office when he was a teenager. While in prison his violent alter ego ‘Charles Bronson’ took over his entire persona and he has since spent 34 years behind bars. Hardy gives his best performance to date, while the movie on the whole is very stylish and edgy. Special features include a making-of documentary, featurette on Tom Hardy’s training, monologues with Charles Bronson, and more. Also available on Blu-ray. Film *** DVD **** (out of 5 stars).
Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (Blu-ray) – The look and sound of Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic is amazing in high-def and the animation is truly beautiful (no doubt a lot of hard work went into this film). Unfortunately, the movie is a marketing tool for the video game that comes out today and for most of it I felt like I was watching a friend playing a game without giving me a turn. If you’re really into animation you’ll probably get more out of the film than I did. Special features include a trailer for the game and an animated storyboard slideshow. Film ** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
I Hate Valentine’s Day – Nia Vardalos got lucky with My Big Fat Greek Wedding and everything she’s touched since has been complete rubbish. Point proven — I Hate Valentine’s Day which she wrote, directed, and stars in with her Greek Wedding co-star John Corbett. Vardalos plays a florist who won’t date a guy more than five times because, according to her, that’s when the romance dies in a relationship. It plays out like a horrible television show that wouldn’t survive past the pilot episode. Needless to say, I hated this movie! It’s not funny, not sweet, not anything other than annoying. No special features. Film * DVD * (out of 5 stars).
More New DVD releases this week: We Live in Public, Universal Soldier: Regeneration, Bright Star, Paris Not France
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
Top image: Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in The Time Traveler’s Wife. Courtesy Alliance Films.
