RT on DVD: Oliver's W, Spike's St. Anna, and My Name is Bruce!
Plus Thai kickboxing's female answer to Tony Jaa, Giancarlo Esposito's directorial debut, and more.
What better way to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama by watching Oliver Stone's W. this week on DVD? While a handful of middling studio releases hit home video this week (Nights in Rodanthe, Soul Men, Blindness), the Certified Fresh pick (and Oscar nominee), Frozen River, hits as well. Celebrate Black History Month with the latest from Spike Lee (Miracle at St. Anna) or go indie with the moving directorial debut of actor Giancarlo Esposito (Gospel Hill). Finally, peruse the week's more eclectic offerings for a break from the norm -- and a well-placed roundhouse kick or two (Chocolate, Street Fighter Extreme Edition, and Bruce Campbell in My Name is Bruce).
The politically-inclined movie lover should take note of Oliver Stone's latest, a shockingly tame envisioning of the early adult life of former US President George W. Bush. As Dubya, Josh Brolin turns in an astoundingly acute and yes, often humorous, portrayal of the Texan playboy-turned-Commander in Chief, and fellow cast members Elizabeth Banks (as Laura Bush) and James Cromwell (as George Bush Sr.) drew praise from critics. The problem, however, lies in relevance --- Stone opts to ignore much of Bush's Presidential choices in lieu of speculating a psychological case study of power ascendance and daddy issues, in the process neutralizing his too-subtle damnation of the former Prez. Learn more about Stone's approach in a filmmaker commentary available on the standard release, with more materials (making-of featurettes, deleted scenes) found on Blu-ray.
Next: Spike Lee's latest joint falls south of Fresh
jack giroux
I am getting Miracle At Saint Anna tomorrow from Netflix tomorrow, I am a big Spike Lee fan but I just have heard so many negativity. I am also getting My Name is Bruce from Netflix, which I am sure will be fun. I am not sure if I want to watch Blindness, I love that director but I just don't want to see him make a bad movie. I am a big Bernie Mac fan, and I think Soul Men looks terrible and I don't want to remember one of his last works being Soul Men. I may get W., I liked it but I didn't love it. I thought Brolin was awesome and there were some great scenes but there was some stuff I hated- Thandie Newton, flimsy narrative, lack of side character development: Laura Bush. I may get it but I dont know. I actually might rent Nights of Rodathe. Yes its not my type of movie at all, but I am such a sucker for Diane Lane so I may rent it down the road. Also I rented Pride and Glory last week, and the f^cking sucked, I dont even want to talk about it. I also rent The Express which was good but of course generic.
Feb 9 - 08:56 PM