This is Criticker Blog’s first DVD Report, something we’d like to make a weekly occurrence. We’ll focus on the films new to DVD in the US, informing which are most beloved by users of Criticker. And, yes, we encourage you to click on our advertising links to buy all of them, even the crap ones.
It’s a pretty weak selection of new films on DVD this week, which angers this writer of Criticker’s inaugural DVD Report. Still, Be Kind Rewind is the sort of movie which is best seen on DVD — an uneven affair which split user opinion. And, we’re surprised that about the low number of rankings for Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins — has Mr. Lawrence completely lost his popular appeal? More of our users have seen an obscure Lebanese chick-flick!
Be Kind, Rewind – 157 Rankings – Average Tier 5.66 A man (Black) whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend’s video store. In order to satisfy the store’s most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films, which include Back to the Future, The Lion King, and Robocop. Be Kind, Rewind @ Amazon
Fool’s Gold – 26 Rankings – Average Tier 3.58
A new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple’s sense of adventure — and their estranged romance. Fool’s Gold @ Amazon
1960′s heist caper Seven Thieves is the subject of a excellent article by Pedro Blas Gonzalez, an associate professor of Philosophy from Miami, at Senses of Cinema.
Not many users at Criticker have seen this film, which on its surface seems to be an unsophisticated crime film. Joan Collins stars, and the plot concerns nothing more than beautiful people, casinos and crime. IMDB’s reader reviews are middling.
Given the film’s age, standard-issue plot and mediocre reviews, one wouldn’t expect it to be the subject of a lengthy, academic analysis. It’s an interesting challenge — to say something interesting about a film no one remembers, and Gonzalez’s essay rises to the task. Though focused on Seven Thieves, is a meditation on the higher purpose of film in general and crime films in particular. Read it, if you have time for 6000+ words, and the stomach for sentences like:
But despite the imaginative conventions established by any art form, human reality remains the anchor of how much we can actually reap from imagination, our inherent regulator of possibility.
… It took me 4 re-reads to understand that.
It’s possible to write an intelligent, thought-provoking article about any film, though critical attention is mostly focused on the abject successes or the total failures. By tackling of Seven Thieves, Gonzalez proves that a film need not be memorable to provide food for thought.
Wanted concerns a secret society of assassins — perhaps not the most original of ideas, but our ears perked up when we discovered that it was directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian creator of the uneven but compelling Night Watch.
wantedmovie.com
And our eyes perked up after seeing that Wanted stars one of Hollywood’s sexiest actors: James McAvoy (Atonement, Last King of Scotland)
… alright fine, Angelina Jolie… it stars two of Hollywood’s sexiest actors. Sheesh, you’re touchy when it comes to your sexiness.
Anyway, our hopes are high that Wanted will mark an improvement over Ms. Jolie’s last assassin-themed film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Here’s an exciting 7-minute clip from the film (out later this month), which suggests that it will:
Update: The extended trailer has been taken down due to copyright issues! Oh no… well, here’s a shorter version:
A man (Black) whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend’s video store. In order to satisfy the store’s most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films, which include Back to the Future, The Lion King, and Robocop. Be Kind, Rewind @ Amazon
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