DVD Releases for Week of 10/23/2012
Not a bad week for releases - that is if you like movies about male strippers!
'Magic Mike' - Director Steven Soderbergh proves that you can have your beefcake and eat it too! With solid performances, a strong script and steady direction, 'Magic Mike' is one of the least likely movies that I would have ever thought good! Channing Tatum actually does a good job and proves that he can act; now if he would only carry that through the rest of his career! While it is a familiar story, Sodergh and cast make it inventive, energetic and original. Not a bad date night movie at all!
'Savages' - 'Savages' starts out interesting enough, Laguna Beach marijuana entrepreneurs decide to branch out to the illegal trade and get caught up in a war with a drug lord from across the southern border. The problem is that director Oliver Stone does not bring us characters we care about and simply allows violent atrocities to tell the tale. I am all for violence telling the tale, it has never been done better as in the case of 'A Clockwork Orange'; Stanley Kubrick knew how to use the violence to move the story along. Stone, on the other hand, simply tries to make each scene more horrifying than the next; this only serves to bombard the viewer with images you would rather not see. Violence for violence sake is not a movie.
'Seeking A Friend for the End of the World' - Touching, endearing and well acting, Steve Carell and Kiera Knightly add romance and charm to a movie that could have very easily gone down with the final act. Knightly and Carell have and portray a genuine sweetness that sets the tone for this film about the last few days of humanity. While first time director/writer Lorene Scafaria seemed to be in a bit too deep, the veteran actors help to keep the story grounded and very human. While not a great film, it is an enjoyable two hours to spend watching two fantastic actors light up the screen.
'Take This Waltz' - Written and directed by actress Sarah Polley, 'Take This Waltz' is full of dialogue and situations that we all can relate to in one way or the other. It is this base of believability and the passion that the actors add to it, that make 'Take This Waltz' one of the best movies of the year that no one saw. When Margot (Michelle Williams) meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), their attraction is immediate and very intense. The problem, Margot is married to Lou (Seth Rogen who continues to impress); it is a genial marriage, but one lacking in passion. So Margot and Daniel suddenly find themselves meeting and developing a relationship. The blossoms of love begin to unfold and the familiar bond of marriage begins to unravel, questioning is a comfortable marriage enough? 'Take This Waltz' is a human look at a very real situation, one that many have experienced and one that many will experience.