New To DVD – Tues March 15
Movies released today include Clint Eastwood’s amazing first attempt at a Sci-Fi drama dealing with the subject of death, the Academy Award nominated inspiring film about a couple of ‘boxing’ brothers, a love triangle between an ex baseball player and the two men who are battling for her affection and a true story about an infamous terrorist from the 70’s and 80’s who was handed over to French authorities by the country who supported his actions.
HEREAFTER
A story about the search for the truth that surrounds what happens after you die. Clint Eastwood directs this mysterious character drama about three different stories. George (Matt Damon) is a psychic who refuses to profit from his talent instead choosing to be a blue collar worker. Marie (Cecile De France) is a popular French anchorwoman who has a near death experience during the Thailand tsunami (the tsunami scene at the beginning of the film is one of the most bone chilling sequences showing that CGI visuals can pair well with a gripping character drama). Marcus and Jason (played by twins, Frankie and George McLaren) are 11 yr old London school kids. When Jason unexpectedly dies; Marcus is left to deal with the memories as well as dealing with his inconsolable mother.
THE FIGHTER
Based on a true story which plays like a dark dramady, ‘Irish’ Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is a welterweight boxer living in a middle class town in Massachusets who always seems to be in the shadow of his half brother Dicky (Christian Bale, who won the Oscar for this performance), a former boxer, and Mickey’s trainer, who has spiraled into a full-fledged drug addict. Mickey’s career is hitting the rocks no thanks to his alcoholic, chain-smoking, manager mother (Melissa Leo, who also won this year’s Oscar) who is still trying to live in the afterglow of Dicky’s fame. Mickey then meets a local barmaid (Amy Adams) who decides to help Mickey get his head on straight and his career back together, eventually leading him to step up and win the Intercontinental Lightweight championship as well as the Light Welterweight title (which I know nothing about as I don’t follow boxing so, good for him?).
HOW DO YOU KNOW
A comedy which seemingly has the thematic plot about figuring out what you want in life and actually being able to ask for it! Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is a pro softball player who is about to be retired at the age of 31. A type-A personality, she has no clue what to do with her life. In walks Matt (Owen Wilson), a pro softball ‘playa’’, who’s bathroom filled with pink tracksuits and toothbrushes to offer to his conquests, intrigues her and she decides to stick around and have some fun. She then meets George (Paul Rudd) who’s dealing with his own issues (he’s being investigated for securities fraud which his weasely father and boss, played by Jack Nicholson, seems to have some hand in) and they form a friendship based on airing out their grievances on life.
CARLOS: THE JACKAL
A biopic epic (it’s a five and half hour miniseries) about the career of notorious revolutionary terrorist, Ramirez Sanchez (brilliantly played by Edger Ramirez) who later became known as ‘Carlos the Jackal’, a Venezualan Marxist who first began his career with radical Palestinians in the early 70’s. He then took financial backing from a slew of terrorist cells (first Saddam Hussein, then from Syria, Libya, East Germany, etc…) and after some botched gigs, the killing of two French investigators, the kidnapping of some oil ministers in Vienna, then implementing isolated attacks in Eastern Europe, he finally returned to Sudan, who give him up to the French, where he remains in prison under a life sentence.
ALSO OUT: Devil’s Playground, Bodyguard & Assassins, Man From Nowhere
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