Not the best week for DVD releases. There is a theme here, however. “Stuff that should have been better.”
Hide and Seek
Two Hollywood stars desperately suffering from underexposure decide to solve that problem by appearing in a movie together. Hence Dakota Fanning (showing her range by playing a brunette) and Robert De Niro (showing his range by not playing a cop or gangster) come together here as a daughter and father coping with the death of a loved one. Then Fanning goes all “Danny’s not here, Mrs. Torrance” on De Niro and spookiness supposedly ensues. Now, if one predictable twist ending weren’t enough, this DVD offers you four, cos’ Lord knows we wouldn’t want the screenwriter to start at the end and work his way back to give the film some semblance of structure now would we?
I’ll take “Stars Whose Talent Is Inversely Proportional To Their Taste In Projects” for two hundred, Alex.
Bride and Prejudice
While we’re at it, I’ll take “Excellent Ideas Poorly Executed” for three hundred. Gurinder Chadha, who brought such grace and humor to her directorial debut Bend it Like Beckham brings, well, less of all that to her sophomore effort, a clever attempt to mash-up Bollywood and Jane Austen. I’ve written a fuller review here, but suffice it to say, it doesn’t always work. The DVD does have “A Conversation with Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson” so you can ogle her some more if you want.
In My Country
It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Get acclaimed director John Boorman to direct character actor superstar Sam Jackson and foreign film goddess Juliette Binoche in a film about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Hearings in a newly freed South Africa. And hell, even throw in the inimitable Brendan Gleeson as the resident bad guy. If only the reviews weren’t so consistently sucky. This seems to fall into the trap of so many “important” films – reminding you constantly that it’s “important.”
Too bad they didn’t stick with the original title, Country of My Skull. Doesn’t that sound more bad-ass?
Prozac Nation
This oft-delayed release is finally available on DVD. As the cover makes all-too-apparent, the important thing to remember here is a topless Christina Ricci. Never mind that this was a best-selling novel who’s conversion into a would-be indie smash with Ms. Ricci should have been a major event instead of an ongoing production and release nightmare from which it never fully awoke. One of the two-thirds of critics who dislike the film describes it as “bafflingly awful.”
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
great stuff David. a fella chortled himself sideways right there. That comment about the Basinger / Bridges flick got me roaring.
tis indeed a reasonably poor week. I been meaning to see Hide And Seek, mind. And Crossfire is a masterpiece!
great work, man.
2 - Eric Olsen
super job David, very informative, thanks! As the Duke said, you accomplished much with little to work with