A Serious Man CityNews.ca Pick of the Week - Larry Gopnik
(Michael Stuhlbarg) is a good father, husband and physics professor.
It's 1967 and he lives an ordinary life: he works, goes to synagogue and
genuinely seems happy. All of that changes when a student of his tries
to bribe him for a better grade. Soon after, his wife Judith (Sari
Lennick) leaves him because she has fallen in love with Sy Ableman (Fred
Melamed), an annoying acquaintance of his. His unemployed, sickly
brother Arthur (Richard Kind) takes up permanent residence on his couch
and his son Danny (Aaron Wolff) is having problems with a bully and
smoking copious amounts of marijuana on a regular basis. And his teenage
daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is stealing from him so she can save
for a nose job. On the surface A Serious Man is a black comedy
about religion, knowing right from wrong and paying for your sins. But
it has an underlying message that is open to interpretation. That said -
I haven't laughed as hard at a Coen Brothers film as I did while
watching it and I'd put it right beside Fargo as one of the
Brothers' best. Special features include featurettes on the creative
vision of the film, the sets and neighbourhoods used, and the Hebrew and
Yiddish languages. Also available on Blu-ray. Film **** DVD *** (out of
5 stars).
The Time Traveler's Wife Valentine's Day
Pick - Henry (Eric Bana) has a rare genetic disorder that allows
him to travel through time. When he meets his wife Claire (Rachel
McAdams) she is only six and he is from the future. Eventually they
cross paths in the present, fall in love, and get married. Claire finds
things aren't as perfect as she expected because Henry can't control his
traveling and is always coming and going -- leaving her alone on
Christmas or in the middle of dinner. The Time Traveler's Wife is
far from perfect (the Audrey Niffenegger novel it's based on is much
better), but the chemistry between McAdams and Bana, mixed with the
science-fiction aspect, makes it a very interesting and touching film to
watch. Only special feature is a making-of featurette. Also available
on Blu-ray. Film *** DVD ** (out of 5 stars). Note: The Time
Traveler's Wife also comes packaged with The Notebook -- a
much better romance starring McAdams. The two go well together and make
the perfect double-feature for Valentine's Day.
The
Stepfather (Blu-ray) - Nip/Tuck's Dylan Walsh plays a man who
hunts for widowed and divorced women in order to find the perfect
family to be a part of. When the family doesn't live up to his
expectations (they never do) he kills them, changes his look, and moves
to another town to start the process again. The biggest surprise about
this pointless remake of the 1987 film is that it's a pretty decent
movie and Walsh's performance is more than enough to recommend it. The
Blu-ray release is clean but it's definitely not a movie that needs to
be seen in high-def. Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, and Amber Heard also star.
Special features include gag reel, a making-of featurette, commentary
with Walsh, Badgley, and director Nelson McCormick, plus more. Film **
Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Bronson - Based on the true
story of Michael Petersen (played by Tom Hardy) who was sentenced to 7
years in prison for attempting to rob a post office when he was a
teenager. While in prison his violent alter ego 'Charles Bronson' took
over his entire persona and he has since spent 34 years behind bars.
Hardy gives his best performance to date, while the movie on the whole
is very stylish and edgy. Special features include a making-of
documentary, featurette on Tom Hardy's training, monologues with Charles
Bronson, and more. Also available on Blu-ray. Film *** DVD **** (out of
5 stars).
Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic (Blu-ray) -
The look and sound of Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is
amazing in high-def and the animation is truly beautiful (no doubt a lot
of hard work went into this film). Unfortunately, the movie is a
marketing tool for the video game that comes out today and for most of
it I felt like I was watching a friend playing a game without giving me a
turn. If you're really into animation you'll probably get more out of
the film than I did. Special features include a trailer for the game and
an animated storyboard slideshow. Film ** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
I Hate Valentine's Day - Nia Vardalos got lucky with My
Big Fat Greek Wedding and everything she's touched since has been
complete rubbish. Point proven -- I Hate Valentine's Day which
she wrote, directed, and stars in with her Greek Wedding co-star
John Corbett. Vardalos plays a florist who won't date a guy more than
five times because, according to her, that's when the romance dies in a
relationship. It plays out like a horrible television show that wouldn't
survive past the pilot episode. Needless to say, I hated this movie!
It's not funny, not sweet, not anything other than annoying. No special
features. Film * DVD * (out of 5 stars).
More New DVD
releases this week: We Live in Public, Universal Soldier:
Regeneration, Bright Star, Paris Not France
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
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image: Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in The Time Traveler's Wife.
Courtesy Alliance Films.