Full Article Text
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&1/6DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride AndPrejudice!DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice!Okay, a new year and a big new batch of DVDs, BluRays or if you prefer streaming video to catch up on,including a classic miniseries, a not-so-classic but hugely popular British soap, loads of Oscar hopefuls, Oscarshut-outs and the always welcome Criterion releases. Here we go!PRIDE AND PREJUDICE KEEPSAKE EDITION ($29.99 BluRay; Lionsgate) DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 4 ($54.99 BluRay; PBS) --The brilliant BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's masterpiece came out in 1995, so it turns 20 next year. But thenovel it's based on came out on January 28, 1813, so happy 101st birthday to this wise and witty work. If you'venever read the book, for heaven's sake, why are you denying yourself the pleasure? If you don't often readnovels from the 1800s, feel free to watch the Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle miniseries first. It will orient you in thetime and place and mores, freeing you up to appreciate the humor and passion and insight of the novel. It isunquestionably one of the best things TV ever produced and this new BluRay is happily remastered so it's asignificant improvement over my previous edition.Downton Abbey on the other hand is just a soap. A very well-acted soap, but poorly plotted and filled withcheap, Dallas-like twists. I'll assume you've seen the episodes that have already aired (stop reading if youhaven't!). For me, I've grown disinterested after the tossed-off rape plot-line. Downton Abbey is too well-acted toenjoy the usual shenanigans of a soap. On a soap, it doesn't matter if a character wants to be a nun one week,is lusting after their brother the next and discovers a long-lost child they forgot they ever had the week after. Andbelieve me, it takes talented actors to pull such nonsense off, which is why soaps have been the proving groundfor many talented performers. But they know it's nonsense and let us in on the fun. Not so on Downton, wherethe cast sadly takes the idiotic doings of Julian Fellowes seriously and thus leaches it of the guilty pleasure wemight have. These characters are too real for me to enjoy being tossed about by a fickle god; whether it's havingLady Mary clearly establish herself as informed and working on the estate at the end of one season after a longstruggle (only to have her have to do it again at the beginning of the next as if the previous season had neverhappened) or throwing in a rape just to spice things up. Ugh. I hear the rest of this season doesn't have anyinsanity quite up to that level, but I stopped having fun so I stopped watching.BLUE JASMINE ($35.99 BluRay; Sony Pictures Classics) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS ($40.99 BluRay combo; Columbia Pictures) THE ACT OF KILLING ($27.99 DVD; Drafthouse Films) JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA ($39.99 BluRay; Paramount) --Here are some Oscar hopefuls. I've often thought it must be unnerving to be a front runner: everyone, simplyeveryone, tells you they voted for you and you're going to win and at some point it must feel like bad luck to hearnothing but assurances. If that's the case, Cate Blanchett must be a nervous wreck. Surely someone wasmoved by Judi Dench, she is thinking. Maybe they just don't want to be rude to me? Well, watch Woody Allen'slatest to see what she does and decide for yourself if she's a lock.Captain Phillips is one of three survival films that all feel of a piece: one person against the odds. Gravity was
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&2/6the most successful and might just win Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron. Tom Hanks stars in Captain Phillips, asolid effort in which a ship attacked by Somali pirates includes a captain and crew that satisfyingly do everythingyou would think of to foil the bad guys without behaving like super heros or Bruce Willis in Die Hard. For me, themost satisfying was the Robert Redford at sea flick All Is Lost, but this drama is a taut, enjoyable flick.The Act Of Killing is up for Best Documentary and to even describe the movie is rather mind-blowing for many.In Indonesia, the men behind some crimes against humanity aren't in hiding: they're proud of what they've done.With the prodding of the filmmaker, they agree to reenact their mass killings in the style of Hollywood movies sothe world will remember what they did and why. Huh? Imagine getting a serial killer to make a musical about allthe people he slaughtered and you'll get a sense for the looking-glass craziness in this movie. Widelyconsidered one of the best movies of the year and a ground-breaking documentary.If The Act Of Killing feels like a blow to the head, Bad Grandpa is definitely more like a knee in the crotch. Thisvery successful spin-off of the Jackass franchise made lots of money and garnered an Oscar nomination for theterrific makeup of Johnny Knoxville as the cranky title character. What's most notable about this is that it wasn'teffective in the controlled environment of a set where careful lighting and such can achieve the desired effect.The makeup here had to make him look like a convincing old man in the real world so Knoxville could punkpeople with his misbehavior. That's pretty amazing. It's likely to lose to Dallas Buyers Club but the work here isdefinitely more of an achievement and worthy of Oscar's attention. Needless to say, the people nominatedshould go to the Oscars done up as old curmudgeons or at least bring Knoxville in character onto the stage withthem.THE SPECTACULAR NOW ($24.99 BluRay combo; Lionsgate) DON JON ($39.99 BluRay combo; Fox) ENOUGH SAID ($39.99 BluRay; Fox Searchlight) RUSH ($34.99 BluRay combo; Universal) THE FIFTH ESTATE ($36.99 BluRay combo; Touchstone/DreamWorks) -- And now we come to a clutch ofmovies that expected or deserved Oscar nominations but came up short.To be honest, no one was talking about The Spectacular Now as being in the midst. But this teen drama quietlybecame one of the best reviewed movies of the year thanks to a subtle screenplay by the team behind (500)Days Of Summer, a sterling cast and a wonderful low-key style that upended our expectations even as they toldthe familiar story of an apparently popular dude falling for a goody-goody girl. Toss in alcoholism and a waywarddad and you've got pure Young Adult Novel territory. But it's done so well, you never quite notice. The Fault InOur Stars should be this lucky. Kudos to breakout Miles Teller and TV's Shailene Woodley making the leap tofilm with ease. A real sleeper.Of course, (500) Days of Summer starred the charming and talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's made hisdirectorial debut with the funny and nervy Don Jon, a romance about a guy addicted to porn who is challengedto have a real relationship by a gal who gives as good as she gets. Scarlett Johansson is the girl and she's veryfunny here, capping a year in which her voice work on Her was exceptionally good as well.Someone foolishly pointed out that Oscar doesn't usually nominate people who have died but have films eligible.But how often does an Oscar worthy performance come from someone who has died after the movie was madeand before nominations are announced? Not too often, I'd think. So it's not telling but perhaps a littledisappointing that James Gandolfini finally got a movie role worthy of the man from The Sopranos but couldn'tlive to see his acclaim. Ceertainly Julia-Louis Dreyfuss has never been this good on film either. Enough saidabout Enough Said.I've been a huge fan of German actor Daniel Bruhl for years: Goodbye Lenin, The Educators, IngloriousBasterds, to name just three. It looked like he'd finally have a North American breakout with this racing movie
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&3/6directed by Ron Howard. But the movie flopped and Bruhl's Oscar-bait of a performance (involving a seriouscrash, damaged looks and a noble comeback -- all based on real events!) somehow didn't snag their attention.Bruhl will someday; trust me.Bruhl also stars in The Fifth Estate, a movie that was treated as if it were Julian Assange rather than a complexfilm about Julian Assange. It seemed to be ostracized from the start, as if it had no right to exist, ignoring workby It Boy Benedict Cumberbatch and director Bill Condon's nuanced look at a ripped-from-the-headlines storythe entire world is talking about. Very strange. Even if one has issues with the film (it's far from perfect), it'scertainly worthy of discussion.INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED ($24.99 BluRay; Lionsgate) CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 ($40.99 BluRay combo; Columbia) IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD ($49.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) -- If you're going for laughs, you'rerarely thinking about the Academy Awards. Here are three that just went for the jugular.Instructions Not Included is the Cinderella story of the year. This gentle comedy involves a bachelor who finds ababy from one of his many flings on his doorstep. He raises the little girl with love (think One Man And A Baby)only to have the mother come back to reclaim the child years later. You'll laugh; you'll cry! It's a breakout film forMexican star Eugenio Derbez, who co-wrote, directed and stars. Think Woody Allen!Hopes were higher for Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2. The original was a left-field winner. But any hopesthat this sequel would build on that success ended when the movie was screened. It's not awful, just more of thesame and a bit unnecessary.On the other hand, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was made with the highest expectations. No comedy hadever featured more stars and this Stanley Kramer epic was bursting with big names, all of whom got to do theirbits at length. The original cut was five hours long and the original roadshow version at 197 minutes was thoughtlost forever. (How long was it? During the intermission, they even played audio of cops talking to each other onthe radio in the lobbies and restrooms. It never stopped!) Happily, Criterion has worked to create as full arestoration as possible for the movie that went on to be a huge box office hit and score multiple Oscarnominations and one win. (None for acting; there were so many stars that probably no one in the Academyvoted for the same person twice.) To me, it's one of those lumbering elephants of the 1960s but I have friendswho swear by it and will give it a chance again. Certainly this edition could not be more loving and is burstingwith extras and the usual Criterion care.THE COSBY SHOW SEASONS 1 AND 2 ($14.99 DVD; Mill Creek) TREME: THE COMPLETE SERIES ($134.99 BluRay; HBO) CHARLIE'S ANGELS SEASON 1 ($9.99 DVD; Mill Creek) TOP OF THE LAKE ($34.99 DVD; BBC Home Entertainment) MARRIED WITH CHILDREN SEASONS 1 AND 2 ($14.99 DVD; Mill Creek) GOOD TIMES SEASONS 1 AND 2 ($14.99 DVD; Mill Creek) -- Here's a TV roundup of classics, theunappreciated and the over-praised.People (wrongly) think they can stream any TV show they want, whenever they want from this or that service.It's not quite true but it's changed their attitudes towards collecting TV shows. Why buy most of them when youcan just stream that season of Star Trek if you're so inclined? The response from studios should be to getclassic TV out there in as cheap a package as possible. Make an entire series or at least several seasons oinexpensive that people almost can't help themselves. Cheap doesn't mean cheap, however. I don't care aboutextras (neither do most people), but you better have the COMPLETE episodes (don't ever bother releasingshortened versions used for syndication or shows missing their original music cues). Thank God that's finallyhappened with The Cosby Show, one of the biggest hits of all time and a show so popular they were probably
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&4/6afraid to release it in the deluxe style it deserved. Now you've got seasons one and two (the complete originalbroadcast) in one set for $15. Yes, 49 episodes for $15 -- and frankly, it's on sale for less than $10. Even at fullprice, that's about 30 cents an episode. If you see that in the checkout line of your local grocery store, youalmost can't resist. And believe me, it's worth it. Right from the start, the cast is gelling, the kids are cute withoutbeing annoying and Cosby is his charming, hilarious self. I'm having a blast re-watching them and amastonished about how vividly I remember certain details. A delight and at a great price.Treme is priced as the deluxe, collectible drama it is. Maybe now that the entire series is done and broughttogether in one box, we can start to appreciate this well-acted, funky, very much its own beast drama from HBOabout the people of New Orleans. Perhaps no show will ever match The Wire but now we can accept Treme onits own terms and see the shape and flow of the show from beginning to end.Charlie's Angels, on the other hand, will elicit nothing but giggles. It's not even a guilty pleasure, really, since it'sso damn silly it's highly unlikely you'll watch more than a few episodes. But for those who want a blast of thepast and just love their angels (my favorite was the smart one, Kate Jackson), why this again is the entire firstseason of the drama in a very inexpensive package that makes it worth a gamble or a good gift for any teen boywho wonders what dad watched when he was just a kid. Good god, did we all really watch this nonsense? Atleast the casting was great.Top Of The Lake is one of the most acclaimed miniseries of the year but for me it's the best example of theEmperor Has No Clothes. Elizabeth Moss is a terrific actress and she's good here. But the mystery she's delvinginto in New Zealand is not terribly compelling and the scenery chewing from Peter Mullan and especially an outof control Holly Hunter as a cult leader grows quickly tiresome. I don't blame Hunter; there's not much to do withthis nonsense but try and gin it up with some humor. But it's a dull, trudging affair. I am, to be sure, in theminority on this one. But I don't know why. On paper (Jane Campion directs!) this was wildly promising. Inexecution, a flop.Does it matter that Married With Children is now available with the proper opening song (Sinatra singing "Loveand Marriage")? Heck, I usually skip the title sequence when gobbling up two or three episodes at a time. Butyes, it does matter because that's the theme song we heard every week and that's the theme song we need tohear when re-watching them today. Otherwise, it's just "wrong." I know this sitcom was initially a spoof of witlesssitcoms. it certainly had an excellent cast that knew it, led by Ed O'Neill and Katey Sagal. But it went on so longand devolved into rote material with such regularity that even its most ardent supporters would have to admit itactually became a witless sitcom at some point. No worries; they all went on to better work and especially earlyon you can still glimpse a hint of the mockery they had in mind. Barely.Good Times was, for me, like an early version of rap. Much like Sanford & Son, white people could watch andenjoy this show. But it wasn't made with us in mind. Unlike The Cosby Show, which was universal in its humorand aspiration by being so insightful about human nature and parents and kids; Good Times was universal bybeing so specific about the lives of working class black people. Their references were not our references. Theirpoint of view was not our point of view, even as we recognized so much that was universal. Norman Lear hated"Dy-no-mite!" and that catch phrase elevated it to hit status. But what was so refreshing about Good Times washow beside the point a white audience seemed to be. They'd do just fine without us, you had the feeling, andthat made it all the more fascinating and enjoyable to watch. Even The Jeffersons had an obligatory (and silly)white neighbor and a mixed race couple in the building. Good Times just had talented actors and smart humor.RIFIFI ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) LA VIE DE BOHEME ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) THRONE OF BLOOD ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) THIEF ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) LATE RAY ($44.95 DVD; Eclipse Series 40 From Criterion) -- I usually start with Criterion because their
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&5/6releases are always so consistently excellent. This week I decided to end with them just to save the best for last.We can thank the McCarthy era witch hunts for Rififi. Those paranoid doings sent director Jules Dassin back toFrance from Hollywood, where he promptly delivered the greatest heist film of all time. This sophisticated caperhas been copied and emulated ever since. Isn't it time you appreciated the original? A brand new remasteringwith the usual solid Criterion extras.Aki Kaurismaki's shaggy tale of artists living on the margins came out in 1992 but remains as woebegone andamusing as ever. A new transfer overseen by the director, this was shot in black and white, one of those filmsthat looks so good you think maybe every film should be shot in black and white. The most substantial extra isan hour long documentary about the making of the film. They've done some technical nips and tucks on La VieDe Boheme but essentially Criterion is reissuing all their films in combo packs with both BluRay and DVD tocreate ease of inventory and allow buyers to upgrade their library without having to choose if they're not readyyet to give up DVD.That's why we've got Akira Kurosawa's Throne Of Blood in a new transfer. His feudal Japan take on Macbeth isa haunting look at corrosive ambition from 1957. Toshiro Mifune is the warrior who wallows in gore to fulfill aprophecy he take power. As always, he's impossible to take your eyes off of whenever he's on screen. Extrasinclude commentary by experts, alternate subtitle options and a documentary about the making of the film.Michael Mann's moody Thief has always been a cult favorite. It's never risen to the attention of another earlyeffort Manhunter, despite a great performance by James Caan as a safe cracker planning that illusive "one lastheist." It's never looked better thanks to a new restoration and this set includes all the previous extras and newinterviews with Mann, Caan and a member of Tangerine Dream about their influential score. Ripe forreappraisal.Fans of the legendary Satyajit Ray are rolling in clover right now. Major restorations are taking place of his greatworks and those are slowing coming out theatrically in Europe (and sometimes here) and then on BluRay andDVD. The films look amazing -- far better than we've ever seen them look in the US. It's like seeing Ray for thevery first time. As the major titles come out, now we even get the treat of seeing lesser-known Ray come to light.Here is Criterion's no-frills line Eclipse putting out Late Ray. This three DVD set contains the master's final threefilms: 1984's The Home and the World (about a love triangle), 1989's An Enemy Of The People (the Ibsen play)and 1991's swan song The Stranger. Ray has never been less than lauded but so few of his movies were seenin decent prints that I think his work as been reduced to the Apu Trilogy (with even that masterpiece shown onlyin battered and fading prints). We're in for a major reappraisal and upgrade to his already high estimation andthese three final works will certainly be part of the conversation.*****Most titles listed here will be available in multiple formats and in multiple combinations, including DVD, Blu-ray,digital download, video on demand, streaming and the like. The format listed is the format provided for review,not all the formats available. It is often the most expensive version with the most extras. Do check individualtitles for availability in all their various guises and price points.Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the founder and CEO of BookFilter, a book lover's best friend. It's a websitethat lets you browse for books online the way you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info onnew releases every week in every category and offers passionate personal recommendations every step of theway. It's like a fall book preview or holiday gift guide -- but every week in every category. He's also the cohost ofShowbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the dayand features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz athis website and his daily blog.
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&1/6DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride AndPrejudice!DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice!Okay, a new year and a big new batch of DVDs, BluRays or if you prefer streaming video to catch up on,including a classic miniseries, a not-so-classic but hugely popular British soap, loads of Oscar hopefuls, Oscarshut-outs and the always welcome Criterion releases. Here we go!PRIDE AND PREJUDICE KEEPSAKE EDITION ($29.99 BluRay; Lionsgate) DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 4 ($54.99 BluRay; PBS) --The brilliant BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's masterpiece came out in 1995, so it turns 20 next year. But thenovel it's based on came out on January 28, 1813, so happy 101st birthday to this wise and witty work. If you'venever read the book, for heaven's sake, why are you denying yourself the pleasure? If you don't often readnovels from the 1800s, feel free to watch the Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle miniseries first. It will orient you in thetime and place and mores, freeing you up to appreciate the humor and passion and insight of the novel. It isunquestionably one of the best things TV ever produced and this new BluRay is happily remastered so it's asignificant improvement over my previous edition.Downton Abbey on the other hand is just a soap. A very well-acted soap, but poorly plotted and filled withcheap, Dallas-like twists. I'll assume you've seen the episodes that have already aired (stop reading if youhaven't!). For me, I've grown disinterested after the tossed-off rape plot-line. Downton Abbey is too well-acted toenjoy the usual shenanigans of a soap. On a soap, it doesn't matter if a character wants to be a nun one week,is lusting after their brother the next and discovers a long-lost child they forgot they ever had the week after. Andbelieve me, it takes talented actors to pull such nonsense off, which is why soaps have been the proving groundfor many talented performers. But they know it's nonsense and let us in on the fun. Not so on Downton, wherethe cast sadly takes the idiotic doings of Julian Fellowes seriously and thus leaches it of the guilty pleasure wemight have. These characters are too real for me to enjoy being tossed about by a fickle god; whether it's havingLady Mary clearly establish herself as informed and working on the estate at the end of one season after a longstruggle (only to have her have to do it again at the beginning of the next as if the previous season had neverhappened) or throwing in a rape just to spice things up. Ugh. I hear the rest of this season doesn't have anyinsanity quite up to that level, but I stopped having fun so I stopped watching.BLUE JASMINE ($35.99 BluRay; Sony Pictures Classics) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS ($40.99 BluRay combo; Columbia Pictures) THE ACT OF KILLING ($27.99 DVD; Drafthouse Films) JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA ($39.99 BluRay; Paramount) --Here are some Oscar hopefuls. I've often thought it must be unnerving to be a front runner: everyone, simplyeveryone, tells you they voted for you and you're going to win and at some point it must feel like bad luck to hearnothing but assurances. If that's the case, Cate Blanchett must be a nervous wreck. Surely someone wasmoved by Judi Dench, she is thinking. Maybe they just don't want to be rude to me? Well, watch Woody Allen'slatest to see what she does and decide for yourself if she's a lock.Captain Phillips is one of three survival films that all feel of a piece: one person against the odds. Gravity was
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&2/6the most successful and might just win Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron. Tom Hanks stars in Captain Phillips, asolid effort in which a ship attacked by Somali pirates includes a captain and crew that satisfyingly do everythingyou would think of to foil the bad guys without behaving like super heros or Bruce Willis in Die Hard. For me, themost satisfying was the Robert Redford at sea flick All Is Lost, but this drama is a taut, enjoyable flick.The Act Of Killing is up for Best Documentary and to even describe the movie is rather mind-blowing for many.In Indonesia, the men behind some crimes against humanity aren't in hiding: they're proud of what they've done.With the prodding of the filmmaker, they agree to reenact their mass killings in the style of Hollywood movies sothe world will remember what they did and why. Huh? Imagine getting a serial killer to make a musical about allthe people he slaughtered and you'll get a sense for the looking-glass craziness in this movie. Widelyconsidered one of the best movies of the year and a ground-breaking documentary.If The Act Of Killing feels like a blow to the head, Bad Grandpa is definitely more like a knee in the crotch. Thisvery successful spin-off of the Jackass franchise made lots of money and garnered an Oscar nomination for theterrific makeup of Johnny Knoxville as the cranky title character. What's most notable about this is that it wasn'teffective in the controlled environment of a set where careful lighting and such can achieve the desired effect.The makeup here had to make him look like a convincing old man in the real world so Knoxville could punkpeople with his misbehavior. That's pretty amazing. It's likely to lose to Dallas Buyers Club but the work here isdefinitely more of an achievement and worthy of Oscar's attention. Needless to say, the people nominatedshould go to the Oscars done up as old curmudgeons or at least bring Knoxville in character onto the stage withthem.THE SPECTACULAR NOW ($24.99 BluRay combo; Lionsgate) DON JON ($39.99 BluRay combo; Fox) ENOUGH SAID ($39.99 BluRay; Fox Searchlight) RUSH ($34.99 BluRay combo; Universal) THE FIFTH ESTATE ($36.99 BluRay combo; Touchstone/DreamWorks) -- And now we come to a clutch ofmovies that expected or deserved Oscar nominations but came up short.To be honest, no one was talking about The Spectacular Now as being in the midst. But this teen drama quietlybecame one of the best reviewed movies of the year thanks to a subtle screenplay by the team behind (500)Days Of Summer, a sterling cast and a wonderful low-key style that upended our expectations even as they toldthe familiar story of an apparently popular dude falling for a goody-goody girl. Toss in alcoholism and a waywarddad and you've got pure Young Adult Novel territory. But it's done so well, you never quite notice. The Fault InOur Stars should be this lucky. Kudos to breakout Miles Teller and TV's Shailene Woodley making the leap tofilm with ease. A real sleeper.Of course, (500) Days of Summer starred the charming and talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's made hisdirectorial debut with the funny and nervy Don Jon, a romance about a guy addicted to porn who is challengedto have a real relationship by a gal who gives as good as she gets. Scarlett Johansson is the girl and she's veryfunny here, capping a year in which her voice work on Her was exceptionally good as well.Someone foolishly pointed out that Oscar doesn't usually nominate people who have died but have films eligible.But how often does an Oscar worthy performance come from someone who has died after the movie was madeand before nominations are announced? Not too often, I'd think. So it's not telling but perhaps a littledisappointing that James Gandolfini finally got a movie role worthy of the man from The Sopranos but couldn'tlive to see his acclaim. Ceertainly Julia-Louis Dreyfuss has never been this good on film either. Enough saidabout Enough Said.I've been a huge fan of German actor Daniel Bruhl for years: Goodbye Lenin, The Educators, IngloriousBasterds, to name just three. It looked like he'd finally have a North American breakout with this racing movie
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&3/6directed by Ron Howard. But the movie flopped and Bruhl's Oscar-bait of a performance (involving a seriouscrash, damaged looks and a noble comeback -- all based on real events!) somehow didn't snag their attention.Bruhl will someday; trust me.Bruhl also stars in The Fifth Estate, a movie that was treated as if it were Julian Assange rather than a complexfilm about Julian Assange. It seemed to be ostracized from the start, as if it had no right to exist, ignoring workby It Boy Benedict Cumberbatch and director Bill Condon's nuanced look at a ripped-from-the-headlines storythe entire world is talking about. Very strange. Even if one has issues with the film (it's far from perfect), it'scertainly worthy of discussion.INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED ($24.99 BluRay; Lionsgate) CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 ($40.99 BluRay combo; Columbia) IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD ($49.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) -- If you're going for laughs, you'rerarely thinking about the Academy Awards. Here are three that just went for the jugular.Instructions Not Included is the Cinderella story of the year. This gentle comedy involves a bachelor who finds ababy from one of his many flings on his doorstep. He raises the little girl with love (think One Man And A Baby)only to have the mother come back to reclaim the child years later. You'll laugh; you'll cry! It's a breakout film forMexican star Eugenio Derbez, who co-wrote, directed and stars. Think Woody Allen!Hopes were higher for Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2. The original was a left-field winner. But any hopesthat this sequel would build on that success ended when the movie was screened. It's not awful, just more of thesame and a bit unnecessary.On the other hand, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was made with the highest expectations. No comedy hadever featured more stars and this Stanley Kramer epic was bursting with big names, all of whom got to do theirbits at length. The original cut was five hours long and the original roadshow version at 197 minutes was thoughtlost forever. (How long was it? During the intermission, they even played audio of cops talking to each other onthe radio in the lobbies and restrooms. It never stopped!) Happily, Criterion has worked to create as full arestoration as possible for the movie that went on to be a huge box office hit and score multiple Oscarnominations and one win. (None for acting; there were so many stars that probably no one in the Academyvoted for the same person twice.) To me, it's one of those lumbering elephants of the 1960s but I have friendswho swear by it and will give it a chance again. Certainly this edition could not be more loving and is burstingwith extras and the usual Criterion care.THE COSBY SHOW SEASONS 1 AND 2 ($14.99 DVD; Mill Creek) TREME: THE COMPLETE SERIES ($134.99 BluRay; HBO) CHARLIE'S ANGELS SEASON 1 ($9.99 DVD; Mill Creek) TOP OF THE LAKE ($34.99 DVD; BBC Home Entertainment) MARRIED WITH CHILDREN SEASONS 1 AND 2 ($14.99 DVD; Mill Creek) GOOD TIMES SEASONS 1 AND 2 ($14.99 DVD; Mill Creek) -- Here's a TV roundup of classics, theunappreciated and the over-praised.People (wrongly) think they can stream any TV show they want, whenever they want from this or that service.It's not quite true but it's changed their attitudes towards collecting TV shows. Why buy most of them when youcan just stream that season of Star Trek if you're so inclined? The response from studios should be to getclassic TV out there in as cheap a package as possible. Make an entire series or at least several seasons oinexpensive that people almost can't help themselves. Cheap doesn't mean cheap, however. I don't care aboutextras (neither do most people), but you better have the COMPLETE episodes (don't ever bother releasingshortened versions used for syndication or shows missing their original music cues). Thank God that's finallyhappened with The Cosby Show, one of the biggest hits of all time and a show so popular they were probably
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&4/6afraid to release it in the deluxe style it deserved. Now you've got seasons one and two (the complete originalbroadcast) in one set for $15. Yes, 49 episodes for $15 -- and frankly, it's on sale for less than $10. Even at fullprice, that's about 30 cents an episode. If you see that in the checkout line of your local grocery store, youalmost can't resist. And believe me, it's worth it. Right from the start, the cast is gelling, the kids are cute withoutbeing annoying and Cosby is his charming, hilarious self. I'm having a blast re-watching them and amastonished about how vividly I remember certain details. A delight and at a great price.Treme is priced as the deluxe, collectible drama it is. Maybe now that the entire series is done and broughttogether in one box, we can start to appreciate this well-acted, funky, very much its own beast drama from HBOabout the people of New Orleans. Perhaps no show will ever match The Wire but now we can accept Treme onits own terms and see the shape and flow of the show from beginning to end.Charlie's Angels, on the other hand, will elicit nothing but giggles. It's not even a guilty pleasure, really, since it'sso damn silly it's highly unlikely you'll watch more than a few episodes. But for those who want a blast of thepast and just love their angels (my favorite was the smart one, Kate Jackson), why this again is the entire firstseason of the drama in a very inexpensive package that makes it worth a gamble or a good gift for any teen boywho wonders what dad watched when he was just a kid. Good god, did we all really watch this nonsense? Atleast the casting was great.Top Of The Lake is one of the most acclaimed miniseries of the year but for me it's the best example of theEmperor Has No Clothes. Elizabeth Moss is a terrific actress and she's good here. But the mystery she's delvinginto in New Zealand is not terribly compelling and the scenery chewing from Peter Mullan and especially an outof control Holly Hunter as a cult leader grows quickly tiresome. I don't blame Hunter; there's not much to do withthis nonsense but try and gin it up with some humor. But it's a dull, trudging affair. I am, to be sure, in theminority on this one. But I don't know why. On paper (Jane Campion directs!) this was wildly promising. Inexecution, a flop.Does it matter that Married With Children is now available with the proper opening song (Sinatra singing "Loveand Marriage")? Heck, I usually skip the title sequence when gobbling up two or three episodes at a time. Butyes, it does matter because that's the theme song we heard every week and that's the theme song we need tohear when re-watching them today. Otherwise, it's just "wrong." I know this sitcom was initially a spoof of witlesssitcoms. it certainly had an excellent cast that knew it, led by Ed O'Neill and Katey Sagal. But it went on so longand devolved into rote material with such regularity that even its most ardent supporters would have to admit itactually became a witless sitcom at some point. No worries; they all went on to better work and especially earlyon you can still glimpse a hint of the mockery they had in mind. Barely.Good Times was, for me, like an early version of rap. Much like Sanford & Son, white people could watch andenjoy this show. But it wasn't made with us in mind. Unlike The Cosby Show, which was universal in its humorand aspiration by being so insightful about human nature and parents and kids; Good Times was universal bybeing so specific about the lives of working class black people. Their references were not our references. Theirpoint of view was not our point of view, even as we recognized so much that was universal. Norman Lear hated"Dy-no-mite!" and that catch phrase elevated it to hit status. But what was so refreshing about Good Times washow beside the point a white audience seemed to be. They'd do just fine without us, you had the feeling, andthat made it all the more fascinating and enjoyable to watch. Even The Jeffersons had an obligatory (and silly)white neighbor and a mixed race couple in the building. Good Times just had talented actors and smart humor.RIFIFI ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) LA VIE DE BOHEME ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) THRONE OF BLOOD ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) THIEF ($39.99 BluRay combo; Criterion) LATE RAY ($44.95 DVD; Eclipse Series 40 From Criterion) -- I usually start with Criterion because their
12/7/2015DVDs: Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice! | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=86e39196-97f1-4a85-bb1c-74c88d5f8635&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&5/6releases are always so consistently excellent. This week I decided to end with them just to save the best for last.We can thank the McCarthy era witch hunts for Rififi. Those paranoid doings sent director Jules Dassin back toFrance from Hollywood, where he promptly delivered the greatest heist film of all time. This sophisticated caperhas been copied and emulated ever since. Isn't it time you appreciated the original? A brand new remasteringwith the usual solid Criterion extras.Aki Kaurismaki's shaggy tale of artists living on the margins came out in 1992 but remains as woebegone andamusing as ever. A new transfer overseen by the director, this was shot in black and white, one of those filmsthat looks so good you think maybe every film should be shot in black and white. The most substantial extra isan hour long documentary about the making of the film. They've done some technical nips and tucks on La VieDe Boheme but essentially Criterion is reissuing all their films in combo packs with both BluRay and DVD tocreate ease of inventory and allow buyers to upgrade their library without having to choose if they're not readyyet to give up DVD.That's why we've got Akira Kurosawa's Throne Of Blood in a new transfer. His feudal Japan take on Macbeth isa haunting look at corrosive ambition from 1957. Toshiro Mifune is the warrior who wallows in gore to fulfill aprophecy he take power. As always, he's impossible to take your eyes off of whenever he's on screen. Extrasinclude commentary by experts, alternate subtitle options and a documentary about the making of the film.Michael Mann's moody Thief has always been a cult favorite. It's never risen to the attention of another earlyeffort Manhunter, despite a great performance by James Caan as a safe cracker planning that illusive "one lastheist." It's never looked better thanks to a new restoration and this set includes all the previous extras and newinterviews with Mann, Caan and a member of Tangerine Dream about their influential score. Ripe forreappraisal.Fans of the legendary Satyajit Ray are rolling in clover right now. Major restorations are taking place of his greatworks and those are slowing coming out theatrically in Europe (and sometimes here) and then on BluRay andDVD. The films look amazing -- far better than we've ever seen them look in the US. It's like seeing Ray for thevery first time. As the major titles come out, now we even get the treat of seeing lesser-known Ray come to light.Here is Criterion's no-frills line Eclipse putting out Late Ray. This three DVD set contains the master's final threefilms: 1984's The Home and the World (about a love triangle), 1989's An Enemy Of The People (the Ibsen play)and 1991's swan song The Stranger. Ray has never been less than lauded but so few of his movies were seenin decent prints that I think his work as been reduced to the Apu Trilogy (with even that masterpiece shown onlyin battered and fading prints). We're in for a major reappraisal and upgrade to his already high estimation andthese three final works will certainly be part of the conversation.*****Most titles listed here will be available in multiple formats and in multiple combinations, including DVD, Blu-ray,digital download, video on demand, streaming and the like. The format listed is the format provided for review,not all the formats available. It is often the most expensive version with the most extras. Do check individualtitles for availability in all their various guises and price points.Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the founder and CEO of BookFilter, a book lover's best friend. It's a websitethat lets you browse for books online the way you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info onnew releases every week in every category and offers passionate personal recommendations every step of theway. It's like a fall book preview or holiday gift guide -- but every week in every category. He's also the cohost ofShowbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the dayand features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz athis website and his daily blog.