Posts filed under 'DVD reviews'
April 8th, 2008
This week’s Movie Man column (which can be found by clicking here) is a review of the new BONNIE AND CLYDE DVD. It’s a truly great movie, one that sparked a revolution of sorts in Hollywood, and I highly recommend giving this remastered disc a look.
My column mostly focuses on the movie itself, but here are a few bits of making-of trivia I picked up, both from the documentary included on the disc and from Mark Harris’ excellent new book about the 1967 Oscar nominees, PICTURES AT A REVOLUTION: FIVE MOVIES AND THE BIRTH OF THE NEW HOLLYWOOD:
1. Originally, Warren Beatty only planned to produce the movie, not star in it. He thought Bob Dylan (yes, the Bob Dylan) would be good as Clyde, and as for Bonnie, he thought about casting Shirley MacLaine. Once he decided to play Clyde himself, he wisely stopped considering Shirley for the Bonnie role. (She’s Beatty’s sister, if you didn’t know.)
2. It’s Gene Wilder’s first film.
3. When Warren Beatty was arguing with Warner Bros. chief Jack Warner about making the movie (Warner did not want to make it), Warner told Beatty to look out the window and see who’s name was painted on the studio’s giant water tower. Beatty says he went to the window and said “I don’t know — all I see are my initials.”
March 17th, 2008
This week’s Movie Man column focuses on the DVD release of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, the Coen brothers movie that nabbed a fistful of Oscars last month, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (for Javier Bardem, the nasty-looking customer seen above).
You can read the full column at this link, but here’s a short excerpt:
“A lot of people didn’t like (the film’s) ending or just didn’t know what to make of it. It took me by surprise — it’s not how you expect a movie featuring an air hammer-toting assassin to end — but I think it works. “No Country for Old Men” starts out like a down-and-dirty pulp adventure, but it deepens as it goes, becoming a thoughtful, intelligent (though still exciting) meditation on justice, fortune and fate.”
So, what did you folks think of it? And while we’re on the subject of the Coen brothers, what’s your favorite Coen film. Mine’s THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, but I know there are bound to be some BIG LEBOWSKI fans lurking out there, right? Speak up in the comments section.
February 5th, 2008
This week’s column focuses on a fascinating bit of competition involving the classic video game Donkey Kong (it’s where that fellow Mario made his first appearance).
Here, like the say on the late-night talk shows, is a clip:
“It has heroes and villains, victory and defeat, joy and pathos. It’s funny, it’s sad and, believe it or not, it says something — maybe even something profound — about the human condition. And yes, it has plenty of scenes of guys playing Donkey Kong.”
Want to read the whole thing? Just click here.
January 29th, 2008
This week’s column gets down to Earth and heads for the sun, with reviews of the re-released low-budget drama “Killer of Sheep” and the low-box-office sci-fi flick “Sunshine.” Here’s a quick take from each:
“Killer of Sheep” — “It’s rough around the edges — heck, it’s rough all the way through — but that’s what makes it memorable. It feels more like a documentary than a fictional film, with tiny, seemingly meaningless moments adding up to paint a compelling picture of poverty in America.”
“Sunshine” — While it’s frustrating to see such a visionary movie become another “Alien” ripoff, at least “Sunshine” redeems itself in its final moments. Where the movie excels is conveying the sheer majesty of the sun. If it looks this bright from 93 million miles away, imagine what it would look like up close. Sure, your eyes would sizzle in a split-second, but what would you see in that split second? “Sunshine” is at its best when it asks — and sort of answers — that provocative question.”
Want to read both reviews in their entirety? Go here. See either of the films and want to toss in your two cents? That’s what the comment section is for!
