As I write this, it is already out of date. You see, with the Christmas holiday falling on a Tuesday, the normal release day, most releases were pushed to Wednesday, the 26th. Then a last minute decision came down and the release was pushed up to Sunday the 23rd. Not that big of a deal as stores should have received their shipments the prior Friday at the latest.
So, they pulled out their boxes and the titles I am writing about have been on store shelves for days now. However, I feel a strange need to soldier on and let you know what the preeminent choice(s) are for the week. You see, there is always going to be a title that stands above the rest and this week is no different, regardless of when the disks hit the shelves.
While the actual release schedule was jockeyed around a few times, it is not that meaningful in the long run when you consider the relatively small number of releases this week. Once you eliminate the extraneous specialty and small run titles, there are precious few titles of note. This translates to you being able to spend your Christmas cash on titles that you have been meaning to catch up with over the busy weeks leading up to the big day.
The one title that stands above the rest is David Cronenberg's latest creation, Eastern Promises. This new film is set within the world of Russian mobsters operating in London. It is a film that is less about plot and more about the people that inhabit this world. Is it a perfect experience? Now, at times it moves along at a sluggish pace which lulled me into complacency. Still, there is a depth here that will keep you interested throughout.
Eastern Promises is a fascinating story that has a plot that will keep you interested, but it is much more than that. This is a fully developed world where characters live and breathe without feeling scripted. We are presented with characters that have their own thoughts and beliefs that inform their actions. It is well developed and fully realized. Plus, there is some nice gore and one of the best knock-down, drag-out fights committed to film in some time.
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