Knight at HOME at the Movies
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Dramas, New and Old
A quartet of compelling dramas, new and old, that for the most part deserved better attention than they got in theatres and need to
be in your collection immediately!
A quartet of compelling dramas, new and old, that for the most part deserved better attention than they got in theatres and need to
be in your collection immediately!
A Mighty Heart – I think Angelina Jolie's turn as Marianne Pearl, the journalist and wife
of kidnapped and later murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, her husband in A Mighty Heart
was tremendously moving. Her assurance confirmed her as a leading actress to reckon
with and a star. But the film's weighty subject matter scared off audiences (it's really an
end of the year movie) so hopefully with this new DVD from Paramount audiences will be
in the mood to take in this suspenseful and tragic story and perhaps reward Jolie with a
deserved Oscar nomination. Dan Futterman, Oscar winning screenwriter of Capote who has
played gay in many films in the past, is equally affecting as Daniel Pearl. Jolie has a
good international supporting cast as well but it's all her show and she comports herself
beautifully with the part which, lets face it, is the kind of role Bette Davis would have had a
field day with. The disc includes three making of featurettes but no deleted scenes.
The Hoax – From Miramax comes one of 2007's best films - another that, unfortunately,
didn't connect with audiences at the box office. But again, here's hoping the DVD version
won't suffer the same fate. Richard Gere plays writer Clifford Irving whose compulsive
scams and womanizing seem to at last have caught up with him. At his darkest moment
he latches onto a brilliant but bankable idea when he announces to his suspicious agent
(Hope Davis who deserves an Oscar nod herself) that the reclusive Howard Hughes has
asked him to be his biographer. The events that unfold from that point as Irving is
forced to invent broader and broader claims to keep his hoax aloft are tremendously
entertaining. Gere, aided by his best friend (Alfred Molina, in top form as always) and
wife (Marcia Gay Harden), is wonderful in the role. The script and direction and smart and
funny. This expert, pitch perfect comedy is marvelous (even while bending many of the
real facts of the story). The disc includes the usual assortment of deleted scenes and
other extras. A winner - the kind of movie that rarely gets made anymore.
Babel (Special Edition) – This was one of 2006's best and most challenging films that
due to is complex nature called out for a Special Edition DVD release which Paramount has
now granted with their recently released 2-disc edition. The usual assortment of making
of featurettes, cast, director, and crew commentaries, deleted scenes, etc., have been
eschewed, however, in favor of just one bonus feature on disc two. But it's a whopper - a
90 minute behind the scenes, production diary created by the film's director Alejandro
Gonzalez Inarritu titled "Common Ground: Under Construction Notes." It reveals the
highly creative process the director tapped into making the film. Well worth the upgrade
for those who bought the previous bare bones edition of the film. Also worth picking up is
the film's 2-disc soundtrack.
Days of Heaven (Criterion Collection) – Director Terrence Malick's last film The New
World didn't wow audiences and sharply divided critics. But I found it enthralling as I have
every Malick film. But none has stayed with me longer than this bona fide 1978
masterpiece, a love triangle and tragedy set in the wheat fields of the midwest in 1910.
Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, and Sam Shepard star but it is Linda Manz, perhaps
cinema's most unaffected child actor, who narrates the story and was introduced in the
film, that you won't forget. This was one of the first movie's I wanted on DVD but it's a
pleasure to upgrade to this director approved transfer that in typical Criterion tradition, is
a marvel for the eye. In the absence of the famously reticent director, this edition offers
commentaries by crew members who recall the meticulous filming experience. Gere is
heard in a new audio interview along with stills from the movie, discussing how he came to
be involved with the production. Though he's always been my least favorite part of the
film, his recollections are welcome (and to be honest, it was his celebrity that got the
picture financed). This edition also includes a 40 page booklet with a beautifully written
essay about the film. I'd have liked more special features (behind the scenes footage,
deleted scenes, interview material with Adams and Manz, etc.) but that doesn't mean this
isn't a disc to immediately add to your collection. It is. This is surely one of the great
cinematic experiences and not to be missed. Also not to be missed is the immeasurably
beautiful score of Ennio Morricone. A CD containing just 25 minutes of the score, though
brief, is essential listening for soundtrack lovers.
of kidnapped and later murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, her husband in A Mighty Heart
was tremendously moving. Her assurance confirmed her as a leading actress to reckon
with and a star. But the film's weighty subject matter scared off audiences (it's really an
end of the year movie) so hopefully with this new DVD from Paramount audiences will be
in the mood to take in this suspenseful and tragic story and perhaps reward Jolie with a
deserved Oscar nomination. Dan Futterman, Oscar winning screenwriter of Capote who has
played gay in many films in the past, is equally affecting as Daniel Pearl. Jolie has a
good international supporting cast as well but it's all her show and she comports herself
beautifully with the part which, lets face it, is the kind of role Bette Davis would have had a
field day with. The disc includes three making of featurettes but no deleted scenes.
The Hoax – From Miramax comes one of 2007's best films - another that, unfortunately,
didn't connect with audiences at the box office. But again, here's hoping the DVD version
won't suffer the same fate. Richard Gere plays writer Clifford Irving whose compulsive
scams and womanizing seem to at last have caught up with him. At his darkest moment
he latches onto a brilliant but bankable idea when he announces to his suspicious agent
(Hope Davis who deserves an Oscar nod herself) that the reclusive Howard Hughes has
asked him to be his biographer. The events that unfold from that point as Irving is
forced to invent broader and broader claims to keep his hoax aloft are tremendously
entertaining. Gere, aided by his best friend (Alfred Molina, in top form as always) and
wife (Marcia Gay Harden), is wonderful in the role. The script and direction and smart and
funny. This expert, pitch perfect comedy is marvelous (even while bending many of the
real facts of the story). The disc includes the usual assortment of deleted scenes and
other extras. A winner - the kind of movie that rarely gets made anymore.
Babel (Special Edition) – This was one of 2006's best and most challenging films that
due to is complex nature called out for a Special Edition DVD release which Paramount has
now granted with their recently released 2-disc edition. The usual assortment of making
of featurettes, cast, director, and crew commentaries, deleted scenes, etc., have been
eschewed, however, in favor of just one bonus feature on disc two. But it's a whopper - a
90 minute behind the scenes, production diary created by the film's director Alejandro
Gonzalez Inarritu titled "Common Ground: Under Construction Notes." It reveals the
highly creative process the director tapped into making the film. Well worth the upgrade
for those who bought the previous bare bones edition of the film. Also worth picking up is
the film's 2-disc soundtrack.
Days of Heaven (Criterion Collection) – Director Terrence Malick's last film The New
World didn't wow audiences and sharply divided critics. But I found it enthralling as I have
every Malick film. But none has stayed with me longer than this bona fide 1978
masterpiece, a love triangle and tragedy set in the wheat fields of the midwest in 1910.
Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, and Sam Shepard star but it is Linda Manz, perhaps
cinema's most unaffected child actor, who narrates the story and was introduced in the
film, that you won't forget. This was one of the first movie's I wanted on DVD but it's a
pleasure to upgrade to this director approved transfer that in typical Criterion tradition, is
a marvel for the eye. In the absence of the famously reticent director, this edition offers
commentaries by crew members who recall the meticulous filming experience. Gere is
heard in a new audio interview along with stills from the movie, discussing how he came to
be involved with the production. Though he's always been my least favorite part of the
film, his recollections are welcome (and to be honest, it was his celebrity that got the
picture financed). This edition also includes a 40 page booklet with a beautifully written
essay about the film. I'd have liked more special features (behind the scenes footage,
deleted scenes, interview material with Adams and Manz, etc.) but that doesn't mean this
isn't a disc to immediately add to your collection. It is. This is surely one of the great
cinematic experiences and not to be missed. Also not to be missed is the immeasurably
beautiful score of Ennio Morricone. A CD containing just 25 minutes of the score, though
brief, is essential listening for soundtrack lovers.
