Review: New on DVD for January 27 (Includes first-hand account)

Based on Pulitzer Prize-Winning poet CK Williams’ TAR collection, the film is a poetic expression of CK’s life, written and directed by twelve filmmakers from New York University. The film takes a journey through several decades of American life, from CK’s childhood and adolescence in Detroit in the 1940s and 50s to the early 1980s. CK (James Franco) and his wife Catherine (Mila Kunis) are married with a son. CK spends his nights struggling to write new poems and haunted by memories of his past. As CK drives to a reading in New York City, he remembers central moments of his life and we come to experience and understand both his relationship to love and loss, and how he found his calling as a poet through the women in his life.

When dealing with 12 directors on single project, the reflex response to its failure is there were too many cooks in the kitchen. But if that were the case, there would be competing voices muddying the film’s meaning. Instead this picture seems to be lacking even one distinctive voice as the filmmakers seem to have hung back and hoped it would effortlessly emerge on its own. The result is a highly stylized depiction of Williams’ life that floats from one memory to the next without ever making a connection with the audience. The aesthetic is obviously influenced by The Tree of Life with sepias, slightly out-of-focus shots and impractical close-ups, but not used nearly as effectually.

There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment)

Fury (Blu-ray & Digital copy)

April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier (Logan Lerman) thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.

Other than the fact that most of this platoon’s fighting takes place within the confines of a tank, the film doesn’t differ much from other war movies. There are several firefights and the carnage is explicit as there’s no scarcity of close-ups of bodies being torn apart. Though these men display heroism on the field, many of them act quite the opposite during breaks between battles. As the Sherman tanks come under fire, the proceedings are reminiscent of a game of Battleship as they fire at each other’s presumed locations. Pitt’s character is both the hard-nosed authority and heart-of-gold boss. The other actors – Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña and Jon Bernthal – all play their roles to a tee, though the picture still runs long at more than two hours.

Special features include: deleted and extended scenes; “Director’s Combat Journal”; “Armored Warriors: The Real Men Inside the Shermans”; “Taming the Beast: How to Drive, Fire, & Shoot Inside a 30-Ton Tank”; “Blood Brothers”; and photo gallery. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Henry V (Blu-ray)

Once an undisciplined prince, Henry (Kenneth Branagh) has matured into the powerful King of England and has set off on a campaign to conquer France. But with the fate of the war uncertain, Henry must come to terms with what it means to be king and rally his men to victory… or to death.

There are certain plays that one can imagine transferring especially well to the screen. Beyond making the tale available to a wider audience, the narrative can benefit from the enhanced scale presented in the new format. This Shakespearean play is one of those instances and director/actor Branagh clearly had a vision to implement when making this version. Rather than worry about altering the dialogue to make it more accessible, Branagh puts his full attention on the performances and the production. Though there are still a number of scenes in which the action is limited to a single room, the epic battle to which the narrative is leading can be seen on a whole new level. Branagh is an exceedingly talented actor who really embraces his role as king, but also a more than competent director who revels in the opportunity to expand this story visually. The only issue with the film is the lack of subtitles for a French conversation in the middle of the picture.

Special features include: original trailer. (Shout Factory)

Jean De Florette / Manon of the Spring [double feature] (Blu-ray)

Jean De Florette: Set amidst the rugged hills of Provence, this epic saga follows the heroic efforts of Jean Cadoret (Gérard Depardieu), who inherits a farm from his mother, Florette, and leaves his city job behind, hoping to create a “new Eden” with his wife and daughter. But, unbeknownst to Jean, his greedy neighbor, Cesar Soubeyran (Yves Montand), is plotting to steal the land out from under him with a wicked scheme that drives Jean to the brink of madness.
Manon of the Spring: Ten years after her father’s death, Manon (Emmanuelle Béart) has no idea that her neighbor Cesar Soubeyran (Yves Montand) cheated her out of her father’s land. But when Manon discovers that Soubeyran was directly responsible for her father’s death, she goes after him with a vengeance.

Writer/director Claude Berri nails the big screen adaptation of this darkly humorous melodrama told in two parts. The first installment is a moral mine field as Cesar and his nephew Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) wait for Jean to fail simply by withholding key information that would ensure his success. They stand back as he labours endlessly and join those that mock his curved spine. Though it does not seem like much to fill two hours and keep the audience’s attention, it does both. The second half isn’t as good as the first, though the narrative revelations and their consequences hold steady. Depardieu is excellent as the determined accountant-turned-farmer and Montand his equal while portraying the greedy and conniving neighbour.

There are no special features. (Shout Factory)

The Judge (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)

Big city lawyer, Hank Palmer (Robert Downey, Jr.), returns to his childhood home where his estranged father, the town’s judge (Robert Duvall), is suspected of murder. He sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before.

Before donning the Iron Man suit, Downey, Jr. was known primarily for some great dramatic roles, such as Chaplin and Wonder Boys. Refusing to let his new superhero identity fully dominate, he still does the odd picture in which nothing explodes while hoping his fans will continue to support his less exciting work. Hank is the typical, pompous, high-end defence lawyer seen in so many films. Having raised himself above his small town origins, he looks down his nose at almost everything he left behind. Duvall is a cantankerous old man who holds his patriarchy over his family, even when they’re trying to help him. Hank also has an older and younger brother who become trapped in the turbulence created when the father and middle son are reunited. It’s a fine film that explores these various dynamics, but it would benefit from some tighter editing to steady the narrative’s momentum.

Special features include: commentary by director David Dobkin; deleted scenes with optional commentary; “Inside The Judge”; and “Getting Deep with Dax Shepard.” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

On Golden Pond (Blu-ray)

In his final role, Henry Fonda masterfully plays Norman Thayer, a prickly retired professor who visits his Maine summer home with his loving wife Ethel (Katharine Hepburn). Soon after, they are joined by their daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda, in her only on-screen teaming with her father), her fiancé Bill (Dabney Coleman), and his son Billy (Doug McKeon). The cantankerous Norman develops an unlikely bond with young Billy, providing the framework for an emotional summer in which the Thayers’ strained familial relationships are finally allowed to heal and take wing.

This is not only a film about a fragmented family, but also about aging. Norman’s health is failing, often making his usually difficult personality even more challenging. He’s quick to yell and insult his family and its extended members, sometimes just because he’s a cranky old man and other times out of fear and confusion. Still, Fonda and Hepburn make a lovely couple and their friendship shines through each moment they’re on screen together — as well as their decades of experience and strong personas. This isn’t a corny movie in which everyone suddenly says they’re sorry and starts to get along; relationships are rocky for the duration and even when they’re improved, they’re not perfect.

Special features include: commentary by director Mark Rydell; “Reflections On Golden Pond”; “A Woman of Substance: Katharine Hepburn Remembered”; and trailer. (Shout Factory)

The Remaining (Blu-ray)

A group of close friends gather for a wedding, but the celebration is shattered by a series of cataclysmic events and enemies foretold by biblical end-times prophecies. The survivors face a horrifying, uncertain future as they scramble for safety, but as their world collapses around them in chaos and terror they must choose real life through faith, or just try to survive.

This is not the first supernatural thriller to centre on the rapture, but it separates itself from the others by pushing an overtly religious message that gains strength throughout the narrative. The main idea is that just being a good person is not acceptable — you have to believe in God to truly be saved. There are characters who fake their faith, others who don’t really believe and some who were just decent because it’s right, but they are all “left behind.” If you ignore the pious aspect of the story, it’s almost a respectable monster movie — unseen demons swoop down from the dark skies to snatch their victims, menacing creatures break into sanctuaries, shadows stalk their prey and fire falls from the sky. Moreover, the quality of these scenes is actually quite good.

Special features include: deleted scenes; and a making-of featurette. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)

When the king of Norvania is assassinated, the evil heir to the throne frames Mathayus (Victor Webster) and sends an entire kingdom of soldiers after him. Mathayus’ only allies are a mysterious woman (Ellen Hollman) and her unconventional father (Barry Bostwick), whose primitive science may hold the key to disrupting the evil ruler’s quest for an ancient and unstoppable mystical power.

This latest sequel in the unnecessarily lengthy franchise is reminiscent of Hercules starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; not only due to the extended cast of wrestlers, but also the style of humour and storytelling. Once again Mathayus is called the Scorpion King because the name strikes fear in his enemies, not because there has been any definitive evidence of his powers. His path to redemption has many quests and their requirements include dressing in drag and slaying a fire-breathing dragon. There is quite a bit of comedy built into the script as well, particularly with Bostwick in the mix. In the end there’s nothing about this film that you need to see, but if you’re a fan of over-the-top wrestling entertainment and want an upbeat action flick this could be for you.

Special features include: deleted scenes; “Real Fighters, Fake Punches”; “A Brand New World”; “Great Chemistry”; and gag reel. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)