This week is jam packed and I wish they had spread the hits over the last two weeks, which were weak at best. This week alone represents at least five things I intend to own. And check our reviews of several of these films.
Pick of the Week
Let The Right One In
The obvious pick would be to choose Milk a few weeks after its Oscar glory, but I am intrigued by this creepy foreign thriller about a very young vampire. The Red Band Trailer had me hooked and I will make watching this film a priority.
Milk
The selling points on this film are easy to come by. Sean Penn won the Best Actor Oscar and most of the supporting actors got nominated either at the Oscars or Golden Globes. I will catch this movie right after I watch the Documentary The Times of Harvey Milk so I can compare Sean Penn with the real thing.
Pinocchio – 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition
The Disney classic gets the two disc treatment which includes a commentary from Leonard Maltin and features that delve into the development of the film in the famed mouse house. See more details on this release in my review here.
Happy-Go-Lucky
Sally Hawkins shines in this Golden Globe nominated comedy about an unbelievably optimistic teacher’s journey through life at 30. Check out more in my review here.
Rachel Getting Married
It has been wonderful to watch Anne Hathaway’s transformation from Disney darling to master actress.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
This is a powerful drama about a boy who befriends a kid on the other side of the fence. However this fence is to a concentration camp during World War II. This is another one I review.
Transporter 3
Jason Statham is back for the third installment in the Transporter series. Check your brain at the door and enjoy at least two chase sequences and a few fight scenes with the new king of action.
Role Models
I was looking forward to seeing this brutal comedy starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott about two salesmen who crashed a work vehicle and are forced to join a mentorship program to avoid jail time. I like to wait for these movies on DVD where I can follow up the film with all the improvised comedy bits like extended and alternate cuts and the obligatory gag reel.
Cadillac Records
The story of the rise of Chess records with this all star cast deserves more attention and I am afraid its release next to all these Oscar nominated films will bury it. Most importantly, the mighty Mos Def plays my hero Chuck Berry, which might be too much for me to handle.
Synecdoche New York
Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation) returns for another off-kilter movie, this time starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as a struggling play director who wants to create a replica of New York in a warehouse for his next play.
Battle in Seattle
Stuart Townsend makes his directorial debut and recruited a slew of acting buddies (Ray Liotta, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Rodriguez) and his girlfriend (Charlize Theron) to fill out the cast. These interweaving ensemble dramas have a tendency to be preachy or overdone, but setting the story in the middle of a city wide riot should spice things up nicely.
TV and Re-Issues
South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season
The show is pretty consistent, so if you have been collecting this far you have no reason not to buy this season. The episode highlights include “Major Boobage”, “About Last Night”, and “Elementary School Musical”. Check out my full review here.
Howard the Duck
I thought this movie might never be released, so I was surprised to see it on the horizon and even more surprised to see they made special features. The features cover many of the aspects of the film, but I am most interested in the retrospective feature which includes much of the original cast and crew.
The Starter Wife: Season 1
Debra Messing’s show just got cancelled despite some decent reviews. If you are patient you can wait until they release a set including what they finished in the second season and the original mini-series.
Live at Last – Stevie Wonder
If you can believe it, Stevie Wonder has never released a DVD from a performance. This DVD is from a series of shows in London last year including most of his hits.
Primal Fear: Hard Evidence Edition
This was the first movie where Edward Norton blew my mind, and he made up for Richard Gere being in the film which was previously inconceivable. Now I can finally upgrade my VHS tape.
Escape to Witch Mountain, Return from Witch Mountain – Special Editions
The childhood classics get a little polish to help promote the remake coming starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Although the remake took a more action packed name Race to Witch Mountain. Joe reviews both of these titles here.