There’s a ton of great stuff coming straight to video in March, so as summer tries to draw to a close it’s a great time to stock up on drama, comedy, arthouse, doco and thriller fare. A few titles will be familiar to NZ International Film Festival goers and there are also a batch of great reissues. Check out our picks for the month below.
Fruitvale Station
In a Nutshell: Award-winning drama tells the tragic true story of racial profiling’s worst possible outcome. In the early hours of New Year’s Day, a young African American (Chronicle’s Michael B. Jordan) finds himself in trouble with Oakland cops and in an ever-worsening position as the film unfolds.
The Buzz: 94% on Rotten Tomatoes from 159 critics. Time praises writer-director Ryan Coogler for making an “assured and evenhanded debut,” while the Rolling Stone heralds it as “an unstoppable cinematic force.”
Reason to Watch: Fruitvale Station picked up both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance 2013, as well as the Avenir Prize for director Ryan Coogler at the Cannes Film Festival the same year.
A.C.O.D.
In a Nutshell: Adam Scott finds himself in a rare lead role in this comedy as Carter, an Adult Child of Divorce who finds out that he was an unwitting participant in a well-known study about the effects of divorce on children. The revelation takes Carter back into the bickering relationship between his parents (the awesome Catherine O’Hara and Richard Jenkins).
The Buzz: 51% on Rotten Tomatoes from 57 critics. “Sharp, dark-ish,” says RogerEbert.com “very appealing and even admirable.” However, The Guardian wasn’t as favourable, stating the film is an “amusing but formulaic man-in-crisis comedy.”
Reason to Watch: Scott has been great in TV’s Party Down and Parks and Recreation as well as supporting roles in films like Step Brothers. His co-stars here include Amy Poehler, Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch and Mary Elizabeth Winstead so yeah, bring it on.
Anger Within
In a Nutshell: The French know us so well – how to blow up our boats, how to pick the right time to beat us at rugby – so who better than to make a documentary on Jonah Lomu? Anger Within traces Lomu’s childhood, career and legacy with help from fellow rugby legends including Francois Pienaar, John Eales, Zinzan Brooke and George Gregan.
The Buzz: France Info calls Anger Within “a stunning documentary,” with L’equipe adding “plentiful and thrilling.”
Reason to Watch: While he’s always been a superstar here in New Zealand, it’s easy to forget that Lomu was rugby’s first true global superstar. We’re curious to see what a foreign perspective reveals.
A Band Called Death
In a Nutshell: Did punk come from the UK or New York? Maybe it actually came from three black brothers in Detroit, but nobody knew about it… With the brilliant moniker Death, the Hackney brothers doggedly pursued a style of music in the early 1970s that didn’t find an audience for over 30 years – and even then almost by accident.
The Buzz: 96% on Rotten Tomatoes from 48 critics. “It’s a soul-stirring tribute to a man whose vision was too bold and revolutionary for his lifetime” The Dissolve laments, although Time Out New York warns “too much of the doc takes our taste for granted; Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins and others won’t persuade you that Death could have been huge, nor does a clichéd last-act reunion show.”
Reason to Watch: You can get into the musical history dusted off by this doco or embrace the emotive personal story of unwavering artistic vision – either way there’s a unique tale here.
I Declare War
In a Nutshell: Damn near every kid plays some variation of war in their playground, backyard or local park. I Declare War takes the viewer inside the imaginations of a bunch of youngsters, replacing the branches and sticks they wield with guns and rocket launchers – and hinting at the loss of innocence that comes with adult warfare.
The Buzz: 70% on Rotten Tomatoes from 33 critics. “The concept is thought-provoking but the execution is flat-footed,” says Variety, but The Hollywood Reporter suggests “balance[s] humour and fun with a little fear in a thoroughly accessible way.”
Reason to Watch: The premise is just so damn cool, so it’s not surprising that I Declare War picked up the Audience Award at Fantastic Fest 2012. As youngsters wielding any gun-like object close to hand we’re all over this.
Crystal Fairy
In a Nutshell: You think hanging out in real life with Michael Cera would be annoying? Well, wait until you get a load of him wasted on cactus in the Chilean wilderness… Luckily a screen separates us from him as he plays an American tourist who – along with a ragtag group – gets stuck into every shaman’s favourite, San Pedro cactus. And that’s pretty much the movie!
The Buzz: 81% on Rotten Tomatoes from 80 critics. Rolling Stone shows Cera some love saying his character Jamie “is impossible to like. And yet we do because Cera plays him without an ounce of bogus ingratiation. He’s terrific.” Although, Indie Wire comments “has little to say beyond Cera’s capacity to transform into an amazingly uncomfortable screen presence, something we already knew.”
Reason to Watch: Cera unveiled a seldom seen genuinely creepy presence in Magic Magic, his other outing with Crystal Fairy director Sebastián Silva. Plus – drugs!
The We and the I
In a Nutshell: With this comedy/drama director Michel Gondry does a 180 degree turn on his typical mix of whimsy, dreams and weird machines made out of bric a brac and craft supplies. Instead, this film puts us on a Bronx school bus with a bunch of kids who have just finished their last day of high school.
The Buzz: 68% on Rotten Tomatoes from 40 critics. “Muddled, muffled and mixing empty comedy with empty dramatics,” says The Playlist, “an abject failure.” The New York Times couldn’t agree less, saying “to call this thrillingly original, deeply felt movie a coming-of-age story would be to insult it with cliché. It’s much more the story, or rather a series of interlocking, incomplete stories, about what it feels like to be a certain age and to feel caught, as the title suggests, between the desire to be yourself and the longing to fit in.”
Reason to Watch: An intimate coming of age tale is just what we’re after from Gondry as a break from the frequent delayed adolescence of his characters, not to mention how satisfying it is watching kids be themselves a la Dazed and Confused or, er, Kids.
Stranger By The Lake
In a Nutshell: Adding liberal dashings of hardcore homoeroticism to the psychological thriller at its core, Stranger by the Lake is set at a beach populated by dudes looking for casual hook-ups. When one man witnesses a murder there, he’s not deterred from striking up a sexual relationship with the killer – but the murder will linger over their affair.
The Buzz: 97% on Rotten Tomatoes from 62 critics. Empire scored the film with five whole stars: “Beautifully crafted, sinister, frightening, erotic and thought-provoking… one of the most provocative, intriguing films of the year.” Variety is on the same boat, labelling it “an absorbing and intelligent exploration of queer desire spiced up with thriller elements.”
Reason to Watch: Holy hell, this has an almost perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes – going to show that critics are equal opportunity pervs or just want to seem that way after praising Blue is the Warmest Colour.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
In a Nutshell: Outlaw lovers Bob (Casey Affleck) and Ruth (Rooney Mara) get caught in a shootout with Texas cops that leaves a lawman dead and someone needing to be punished. Off goes Bob to the slammer, but on learning his missus is pregnant he tries to break out and reunite with her. Years and failed attempts later, Bob gets out and sets off in search of his family.
The Buzz: 79% on Rotten Tomatoes from 112 critics. The Guardian rewarded director David Lowery’s film five stars, saying “The film is so singular, it’s hard to place. At times, its elegiac visual quality evokes Terrence Malick, but Lowery’s scripting is tighter and more accessible. His is truly a fresh voice, exhilarating to hear.” Total Film gave it a star less, but stated “Lowery’s understated authority lifts his tragic romance above mere Malick mimicry, while Affleck and Mara bring heart to the scrupulous artistry. All you need is a little patience…”
Reason to Watch: The critical praise points to Ain’t Them Bodies Saints evoking the spirit of the New Hollywood directors of the 1970s – more than enough of a reason to check this out right there.
Patrick
In a Nutshell: Who better than the director of Ozploitation doco Not Quite Hollywood to remake the classic 1978 Aussie horror Patrick? Relax, that’s a rhetorical question. Set in a psychiatric clinic, Patrick a coma patient who, from the depths of his condition, somehow takes an interest in a beautiful young nurse (Sharni Vinson, You’re Next). As if that’s not enough, it turns out he has latent psychic powers and a frightening out-of-body ability.
The Buzz: 100% on Rotten Tomatoes! …from 9 critics. One of those critics was from The Hollywood Reporter, calling the Ozploitation “a spookily effective fright-fest.
Reason to Watch: It feels like forever since we’ve seen a horror with such a simple premise and setting. With a director bound to know what he’s doing and a cast including Game of Thrones’ Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) as the unpleasant Dr Roget, cue this sucker up.
Mission to Lars
In a Nutshell: Punny title of the year goes to… surprise – Mission to Lars! A pair of documentarian siblings set off to make their autistic brother Tom’s dream to meet Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich come true by chasing the band around America, an adventure that’ll reveal new things about Tom, even if he never catches up with the little fella behind the drum kit.
The Buzz: 93% on Rotten Tomatoes from 14 critics. The Hollywood Reporter says “you will leave the theatre smiling.” But since you won’t be seeing this in a theatre, you can go with Time Out’s quote: “The literal and emotional voyage that gives this sweet, touching and often funny doc its shape resists any temptation to overegg the self-discovery pudding.”
Reason to Watch: For all of the mega-stardom and excesses like Through the Never, it’s awesome to see what really makes Metallica who they are – everyday fans like Tom. Plus – “rooaaaad triiip!!!”.
Blackfish
In a Nutshell: Humans have long been fascinated with our mammalian cousins of the ocean, with many multi-million dollar businesses built off the backs of dolphins, orca and whales. Blackfish exposes the unpleasant practices of one such company – Seaworld – the documentary alleging a cover up not only extending to harm of killer whales but also the resulting danger to the people who love and work with them.
The Buzz: 98% on Rotten Tomatoes from 118 critics. “Captivating,” says Variety. “Gripping,” says The Hollywood Reporter. “Impassioned and disturbing,” says Empire. “Persuasive, passionate,” says Total Film. “Gripping, shocking, thought-provoking, opinion-altering stuff,” said us.
Reason to Watch: A heart-rending watch at last year’s NZ International Film Festival, Blackfish is also unexpectedly gripping as it attempts to unravel the web of lies around the lives of killer whales at Seaworld. Affecting? Yes, but offering much more than animal cruelty as it unfolds.
Adoration
In a Nutshell: What would you do if, I dunno, you were a mum and your lifelong female friend slept with your son? You’d sleep with her son in retaliation, right? Right? Anyone? It seems that’s the premise of Adoration, anyway, with the boundaries of Naomi Watts and Robin Wright’s relationship tested by their mutual offspring and the stuff they do with their bits.
The Buzz: 32% on Rotten Tomatoes from 71 critics. Variety slams the drama, saying “A ludicrous melodrama that begs to be handled as an over-the-top sex farce is instead treated with the solemnity of a wake, albeit one with a rather lenient dress code.” The Guardian couldn’t agree less, calling it “an incredibly provocative piece of work, featuring a brave and vulnerable performance by Naomi Watts (who seems perhaps a little too young) and a career-high acting masterclass from Robin Wright (who is cast perfectly).”
Reason to Watch: Creepy, you say? We say creepy good. Ben Mendelsohn has a supporting role, in turn supporting this theory.
Reissues
We’ll get to Donald Sutherland (pictured above) in a minute. First up are a couple of French classics making a welcome appearance on Blu-ray. Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is considered one of the defining films of the French New Wave, the cinema movement that ended up making a massive impression on 20th Century cinema. Drawing on his own troubled teens for inspiration, Truffaut serves up a wholly relatable depiction of adolescent strife in his filmmaking debut. Jean-Luc Godard also achieved classic status with his debut film Breathless, re-released this month. Popular and high culture collide in his tale of a petty criminal on the run, renowned for Godard’s unique sense of style. Yep, another defining film for Francophiles (nothing to do with James Franco).
Right, Sutherland. Two of his most well-known and best performances from the 1970s also happen to be two thrilling, chilling films. Don’t Look Now is a surreal fever dream with occult overtones set in Venice, while sci-fi/horror/thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers proves that remakes aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Get ’em.
