Deep Pockets Recommends...
by Brian Eggert
September 2010 Recommendations
The below DVD and Blu-ray picks from Deep Pockets include this site’s top home video recommendations for September, 2010, everything from modern masterpieces to landmark classics. Click the Amazon.com link, preorder away, and help support Deep Focus Review. To see a full directory of upcoming titles, check out the Calendar or visit Deep Pockets for a more complete shopping list.
September 14:
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (2010)
The new film by Fitzcarraldo director Werner Herzog earned an almost nonexistent theatrical release, as it remains unrated by the MPAA, so it's making its debut on home video. But who can blame the MPAA, or the film's producers for not releasing the title in theaters? How could anyone give a rating to a film directed by Herzog, just coming off his maddening hallucination-of-a-film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and one that's produced by weirdo filmmaker David Lynch, director of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr.? What’s more, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? stars two of today’s most bizarro actors, Willem Dafoe (Antichrist) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road). It’s an epic assemblage of strangeness behind the camera and in front of it for this curious film that Roger Ebert called “a movie not on autopilot.” With this cast and crew, would you expect anything less?
September 21:
Ondine (2010)
This hypnotizing Irish import from writer-director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) marks another notch in Colin Farrell’s outstanding career of late. The talent from In Bruges and The New World plays a fisherman who finds a woman in his nets; he believes her a mythical creature of luck called a selkie, a sort of mermaid. Part fairy tale, part endearing romance, Ondine is a lyrical drama with a swelling emotional pull. Distributed in limited release by Magnolia Pictures, mainstream audiences missed this one, so with any luck people will take a chance and rent something unique and rather beautiful. (OrderOndine [Blu-ray]
Robin Hood (2010)
Though Ridley Scott’s epic reinvention of Robin Hood didn’t make a profit domestically, worldwide the film earned a bundle. Audiences who discover the picture on home video will regret not seeing it in theaters. It’s understandable why some stayed away, however, as the Robin Hood legend has been done again and again, but Scott’s version is bested only by the grand The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. The story follows Russell Crowe’s rugged-yet-affable Robin as he protects the throne and earns a few enemies along the way, and in the last scene adopts the name Robin Hood. Here’s hoping that after home video sales the producers at Warner Bros. opt to make a sequel exploring the classical conflict between Robin and Prince John. The release features a 15-minute longer “Director’s Cut”, which are usually pointless, except when they come from Scott. (OrderRobin Hood (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
September 28:
Frozen (2010)
Since Frozen barely spent no more than a week in most theaters, chances are you missed this smart little horror movie. The story involves three skiers (Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, and Kevin Zegers) who, after an unfortunate oversight, are left sitting on a ski lift halfway up a mountain. Rescue won’t come for days, they’re too high to jump, and frostbite is setting in. What to do? Suffice it to say the movie takes some unexpected turns and things get scary real fast. Writer-director Adam Green uses limited space and increasingly horrifying circumstances to build terror out of what might otherwise be considered a no-big-deal situation. Don’t read too much about this one. Just rent or buy and enjoy. It’s worth seeking out for casual viewers, though it’s a must-see for horror enthusiasts, even if the home video release is a barebones one. (OrderFrozen [Blu-ray]
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Jon Favreau’s solid but unspectacular Iron Man 2 added a strong foundation piece to Marvel’s growing Avengers-verse, but didn’t quite attain the same joy-of-discovery buzz achieved by its predecessor. Underwhelming many when it kicked off the summer movie season, the film should play better on Blu-ray, where viewers’ expectations aren’t reaching beyond the limits of all plausibility. Just like the Iron Man home video release, this sequel comes packed with hours upon hours of behind-the-scenes features and never-before-seen footage, including eight deleted scenes, an extensive making-of documentary, and featurettes on several key Marvel characters that play crucial roles in the upcoming Marvel superhero films. (Order Iron Man 2 (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
The Thin Red Line (1998, The Criterion Collection) DVD of the Month
Enigmatic filmmaker-poet Terrence Malick returned in 1998, after an 18-year creative hiatus following his picture Days of Heaven, to bring us The Thin Red Line, his adaptation of James Jones’ novel. This three-hour WWII drama dwells on the Guadalcanal campaign, exploring the displacement and inner dialogue of several American soldiers in the beautiful Solomon Islands. James Caviezel, Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Nick Nolte, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, John Travolta, George Clooney, and Thomas Jane lead the spectacular cast of nothing more than familiar faces. One of the most daring and artful studio films ever released, Malick’s masterful work receives top-notch treatment from The Criterion Collection. Their set includes several interviews with the many actors and casting director, fourteen minutes of outtakes, vintage newsreels, and a feature detailing the Melanesian chants featured in the film. (Order The Thin Red Line (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]