DVD Releases for Week of 12/04/2012
A handful of DVDs this week, most of which will be overshadowed by the blockbuster release of 'The Dark Knight Rises'!
'The Dark Knight Rises' - Christopher Nolan's excellent conclusion to his Dark Knight Trilogy; possibly the best movie of the year, most certainly making the list of Top 10, 'The Dark Knight Rises' is an epic conclusion to an epic series filmed by an epic director! Eight years have passed since Batman disappeared into the night when he suddenly turned from hero to fugitive after assuming the blame for the death of Harvey Dent. While the ruse worked with crime all but crushed under the anti-crime Harvey Dent act; a new evil rises in the form of Bane, a social terrorist bent on the destruction of Gotham City. While at times a little too preachy, 'The Dark Knight Rises' delivers on all fronts and it is a very worthy conclusion to Nolan's vision. Christian Bale once again proves why he is the absolute perfect choice of Batman while Anne Hathaway is stunning as the beautiful Catwoman and Thomas Hardy is perfect as the towering Bane. Joseph Gordon-Levitt once again proves he is an actor of note and sets up the future of the Batman franchise nicely (by now you have seen it - but I won't ruin it here!) and of course, Gary Oldman and Michael Cain are always a joy to watch. If you are going to rent this one, rent the BluRay for sure; BUT, this is a BluRay worth the price for your collection! If you do buy make sure to get the combo digital edition which includes a lot of very sweet extras! The best movie of the summer deserves a coveted spot on your movie shelf!
'The Odd Life of Timothy Green' - Normally, because it has Jennifer Garner in it, I would love the movie; but writer/director Peter Hedges is very often too sentimental and too light on actual character development. In what could have been a very heartfelt tale of infertility and adoption, is instead just another Disney fluff piece. Enjoyable enough though for a $1.20 Redbox rental.
'Hope Springs' - Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are enchanting and completely enjoyable as a long time married couple working on their maturing relationship. A very adult look at very adult issues for a couple that has been together longer than they have been apart! Thought provoking, funny and very romantic, 'Hope Springs' is a must see for long time married couples as well as newly married couples!
'Beasts of the Souther Wild' - Benh Zeitlin's outstanding directorial debut that will most certainly earn a few Oscar nominations, is a testament that a truly artful film can be made with passion as well as creativity. This film is a powerful journey of imagination, hope and the innocence of childhood that is artfully written, wonderfully acted and beautifully filmed. Another film sure to make this year's Top 10 list!