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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:30:03 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my selections below, you can also check out Incendiary, Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht: Season 4, and the second season of Lipstick Jungle on DVD.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in this curious tale of a child born as an old man, based loosely on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Using groundbreaking (and really cool) special effects, David Fincher directs this epic that follows the life of one man who grows up (and young) as an outsider.

I fell for the improbable romance between Benjamin (Pitt) and his normally-aging love, Daisy (Blanchett). Plus, when you stick both photogenic stars in gorgeous period costumes it becomes a feast for the eyes.

Special features include interviews with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, audio commentary featuring David Fincher, footage revealing the techniques behind the visual effects and makeup, and a step-by-step examination of the motion-capture process used to age Brad Pitt.

72 %

Two more up next, so read more.

Last Chance Harvey
Last Chance Harvey features two of cinema's most esteemed living actors: Dustin Hoffman plays Harvey, an aging pianist and Emma Thompson plays Kate, a woman who works at the airport. The two meet in an airport restaurant when Harvey travels to London for his estranged daughter's wedding.

They spend a pleasant day together - a surprise for both of them - and Harvey insists Kate accompany him to his daughter's reception. They are smitten with each other, but in the end Kate must decide if she truly wants to trust in love again. This movie is actually a pretty sweet pick if you're looking for something to watch with your mom this Mother's Day weekend.

Special features include the making of Last Chance Harvey, audio commentary with writer/director Joel Hopkins, and the trailer.

71%

Wendy and Lucy
Oh, man. Sad stories about dogs kill me but I still went ahead and saw this movie when it was out in theaters. The quiet little film, directed and co-written by indie darling Kelly Reichardt, effectively captures the bitter realities and melancholy that exist for those who live at or below the poverty lines, and on the edges of our society.

Michelle Williams plays Wendy Carroll, a young woman living out of her car who has her sights set on a job at an Alaska cannery. Things take a heartbreaking turn when her car breaks down in Oregon and her adorable dog, Lucy, goes missing. Williams' performance is incredible, and it's worth the doggy-related sad feelings you have to endure.

Special features include a collection of four experimental gems from the Film Faculty at Bard College, curated by director Kelly Reichardt.

84%

Wendy and Lucy: Pretty, Poignant, Kinda Boring

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:45:36 -0800

As a simple story about a young woman having a hard time of it, Wendy and Lucy is a bit irritating at times. But after viewing this quiet little movie directed and co-written by indie darling Kelly Reichardt, I sat with it and mulled it over for a few weeks. Only then did I realize how effective it is at capturing the bitter realities and melancholy that exists for those who live at or below the poverty lines and on the edges of our society.

It's certainly a downer - but a superbly rendered downer that may ultimately be seen as a cinematic snapshot of the times we're living in. Reichardt and her star, the impressive Michelle Williams, succeed at capturing a certain downtrodden vibe that's in the air nowadays and for that I can forgive it for being, well, boring. To see where I think it soars and where it stumbles, just read more.

You'll likely hear a lot of buzz around Williams's performance and it's deserved. She plays the role of Wendy, a sullen young woman living in her car as she makes her way across the country on her way to Alaska where she's heard there are jobs to be had. The movie opens in a small Oregon town where Wendy becomes stranded. It's near the end of Wendy's odyssey, evidenced by her dwindling cash pile and the breakdown of her car. Williams effortlessly portrays this young woman, about whom we know so little, in such a sympathetic way, you can't help but feel for her. We watch her encounter one disaster after another (including losing her adorable companion, Lucy the dog) and her frustration is palpable.

Reichardt takes full advantage of the Northwest setting, giving the movie a lush green but gritty realism which enhances the minimalist plot. Oh, and what little plot there is. I do wonder if the movie would have felt as real if some more detail and background were added to the character of Wendy herself. We're forced to get by with little hints here and there about who this girl is and how she got into such a terrible predicament through things like a quick pay phone call to a family member and small discussions here and there with a kindly security guard.

Wendy is a drifter, a free spirit with no clear place in our society. She doesn't really want to find success somewhere and she seems pissed off about it. Admittedly, I left the movie with a brain full of frustrating questions like, "But how does one so young and promising end up in her car with dog miles away from home? How does a young lady like that get it in her head the only jobs to be had are in Alaska? Where are her parents? Where are her friends?" But I suppose that's probably the point.

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Movie Preview: Michelle Williams in Mammoth

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:30:38 -0800

Sometimes it's still hard to believe that Michelle Williams was once Jen Lindley on Dawson's Creek. She's completely broken out of that mold with her ongoing string of indie films like Wendy and Lucy and Synecdoche, New York, and now comes yet another dark choice to add to her resume.

Williams stars opposite Gael Garcia Bernal in the upcoming drama, Mammoth, which follows a young family whose world begins to crumble after a few bad decisions. Leo (Bernal) is a website mogul off on a trip to Thailand, Ellen (Williams) is his doctor wife, and the film spotlights their daughter's nanny, Gloria, as well. Judging by the trailer, things begin to implode after Leo goes to a club and takes up with a prostitute - and everyone, even Gloria, feels the consequences.

I'm already mentally preparing myself for Mammoth. Thanks to its global, interconnected stories set up, I'm thinking it will be on the same intensity scale as a Babel or Crash. (Which means it's probably a downer that I'll need to decompress from later). Still, that sort of riveting drama can make for a great watch - albeit stressful - and Williams and Bernal's performances look exceptionally good in this one. It comes to theaters November 20, but watch the trailer and tell me if you agree with my assessment when you read more.