ACROSS THE HALL

 Image / 2009 / 88 mins / Rated R

MSRP: $35.98

The timing on this independent release couldn't be worse (or best if you look at it from another angle) - with the sudden death of its star - Brittany Murphy.  That said, this edge-of-your-seat thriller does manage some genuine jolts and a few surprises in its breezy 88 minute length.

Danny Pino plays Terry, a groom who discovers his fiance (Murphy) has checked into a hotel where she's having an affair with his best friend.  This sends him into a homicidal fury as things quickly spin out of control with a real nail biting ending.  Murphy is stunning as June, delivering a powerful, if not slightly off-center performance in this above-average low budget thriller.

A throwback to film noir, the last time this subject matter was tackled with such panache was in "Body Heat".  Across the Hall fails to hit those sort of high notes, but it does deliver some memorable performances and is definitely worth a look.

BOOGIE NIGHTS

New Line Cinema / 1997 / 155 mins / Unrated

MSRP: $28.99

The film that very well could have inspired HBO's "Hung" now comes to Blu-ray, telling the story of a high school drop out who stumbles upon greatness by cashing in on his enormous "asset".  Starring Mark Wahlberg as Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler, this early Paul Anderson classic set in the late 1970's porn industry packs an all-star cast, including Julianne Moore, John C. Reilley, Heather Graham, William H. Macy as well as a career saving performance by Burt Reynolds, as porn producer Jack Horner.

I'm a huge Burt Reynolds fan--and seeing him playing a character during a period when he was a box office star was an absolute kick.  Wisely, Reynolds chose to play the role subtly rather than chew the scenery--and was rewarded with best supporting actor nominations.

For the most part, post Marky Mark Wahlberg did a fine job playing Eddie - from the nervous, wide eyed innocent to the evolved drug addicted porn star.  The final shot even promises a brief glimpse at his legendary genitalia.

The picture quality is near perfect, conjuring a 70's oversaturated sensibility that quickly sets the mood, offset with a stellar soundtrack handpicked from the period that's sure to have you boogying through the many extras.

Extras include deleted scenes, commentary, and some very funny bits dug up from John C. Reilly.  This is one Blu-ray at a reasonable price that's well worth going the distance for!  

Che

Criterion / 2009 / 275 mins / Rated R

MSRP: $49.95

 

Remember to set your alarms on snooze, as Steven Soderbergh's four and a half hour bio-pic on Argentina born revolutionary hero, Ernest 'Che' Guevara comes out on dvd and Blu-ray.  Starring Benicio del Toro as the title role of the famous Marxist icon and his campaign against the Batista government.  

Until I saw this, I had relatively little knowledge of who 'Che' was--he had neither the flare or pizzazz like that of Evita Perone nor the weightiness of Ghandi.  That said, Soderbergh did provide a visual delight in recreating the ambiance and mood of the political revolutionary's life--and captured the turbulence of Cuba during Castro's height in power.

Del Toro was mesmerizing as the title hero and delivered another stand-out performance which was often more disturbing than last year's performance of Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men".  Overlooked by critics and audiences, Soderbergh probably could have done a bit more editing or found  himself a bio-pic that had greater universal appeal.  

Extras include some standard behind-the-scenes featurettes that are mostly forgettable as are interviews with Soderbergh himself.  Unless this is a part of history that you find truly exciting, Che is probably best left for the rental crowd or insomniacs looking for refuge.     

GAMER

Lionsgate / 2009 / 95 mins / Rated R

MSRP: $29.95

Envision a cross between "The Running Man" and "Death Race".  Here comes, yet another action-packed vehicle, this time with Gerard Butler in Gamer, where the future of entertainment consists of a super video game called "Slayers" where death-row inmates serve as real-life avatars for anonymous users in a death-to-the-finish battlefield.  If an inmate is so fortunate to beat the game, he wins a real-life pardon.  Of course, no one has ever managed that feat--until Kable (Gerard Butler) puts his life on the line in a death defying game to the finish.

Sound exciting?  That was the intent, however, Butler (who has yet to recapture the success he had in 300) tried to weave magic into a script with holes so big you could fly a 747 through.  The uber bad guy  is the game's show runner Ken Castle (played by Michael C. Hall) who tries his best Bill Gates impression as things quickly start to escalate between both worlds.

I liked Gamer better in theory than in practicality as the movie never manages to mine as much from the premise as possible.  It's as if the producers felt a bad script could be compensated simply by throwing in larger and louder action scenes.  Sadly, that never works.  The end result is a big, loud mess.  This is one game in which you might find yourself praying for the words, Game Over.

Magnolia

Warner Brothers / 1999 / 188 mins / Rated R

MSRP: $28.99

Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is one of those guys who seems to grow as a director with each film he produces.  Starting with the underrated, "The Hard Eight", he has developed a style and sensibility similar to the Coen brothers, following up with such successes as "Boogie Nights" or 2007's "There Will Be Blood". 

Magnolia is one of those films you can't take your eyes off of the moment it begins.  A pastiche of two intercut stories about men who are about to die.  Both are estranged , both want to make contact and neither child wants anything to do with their father.  

Clearly built as a dramatic vehicle for Tom Cruise, the film starts off with a narrator introducing three separate stories based on the theme of coincidence.  From there we meet our cast of disparate characters whose lives are intertwined in one way or another.  The film takes place in the course of one day as we watch their lives change forever.  

For his part, Cruise delivers--clearly outside his comfort zone but committing to the part as relentlessly as he did in "Born on the Fourth of July".  Coming off the dismally received and two-year-long filming process of "Eyes Wide Shut" the year before, it's a testament he managed to trust so implicitly once again in a director's vision.

Beautifully shot, the video transfer is perfect (2.40:1 theatrical ratio) with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 making  flawless audio delivery throughout.  

Extras include a "Video Diary" with Anderson and many of the stars of the film commenting during shooting as well as an extended "Frank T.J. Mackey Seminar" and an amusing "Seduce and Destroy Infomercial" followed by a music video by Aimee Mann titled "Save Me".

For the Blu ray film enthusiast, Magnolia represents an important classic and surely deserves a spot on your video shelf. 

Pandorum

Anchor Bay / 2009 / 108 mins / Rated R

MSRP: $39.98

Not since James Cameron’s classic space thriller "Aliens" hit theaters has another movie come close to the bone chilling formula of Pandorum… though many have tried.  Resident Evil creators, however, decided to throw their hat into the ring with last year’s overlooked sci-fi thriller, Pandorum.

Dennis Quaid  stars alongside Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet and newcomer Antje Traue in this thrilling drama about two crew members stranded on a seemingly empty spacecraft, quickly realizing they are not alone.

The year is 2174 Earth is in a deteriorating position as the population explosion has literally chipped away at every resource.   The spaceship Elysium is launched into the stratosphere with tens of thousands of humans, cryogenically stored for their long journey into space, with the ultimate goal of colonizing a new world.  Crews are routinely awakened and re-frozen in swing shifts as the ship makes its way to the planet Tanus—a picturesque environment that resembles Earth on a good day.

It becomes evident that the Elysium won’t be making its destination as planned, especially when crew member Bower (Ben Foster) wakes up to a claustrophobic disaster with the crewless ship in a state of disrepair.  As he slowly regains his senses - excluding his memory - he wakes up another crewmember, Payton (Dennis Quaid) whose memory is also clearly wiped as the two try to unravel the mystery of who they are, what their mission is and how things on the Elysium have gone awry.

As they slowly begin exploring the ship’s underbelly, the two stumble upon horrifying secrets like the gangs of ravenous humanoid monsters looking for their next meal.  

At its heart, it’s a story of survival.  In this case, humans versus the humanoids, and anything can happen.  Nobody likes a good thriller like I do and often these under-the-wire releases can be an incredible discovery.  Though far from perfect, the sum of its successes far outweigh its shortcomings.  If sci-fi is your bag, this underrated frightfest definitely deserves checking out.  

Smokin' Aces 1 & 2

Universal / 2007/2010 / 109 mins / Rated R

MSRP: $26.98/$36.98

I was lucky enough to catch "Smokin' Aces" the first time on HBO looking for a diversion from the same old, same old.  Surprisingly, it grabbed me right away both visually and in tone.  With Jeremy Piven playing yet another genius diversion of himself (like he does in Entourage) the film quickly pulls you in and never lets go.

Slick Vegas illusionist Buddy "Aces" Israel (Piven) is two-timing the mob by whispering mob secrets.  After a million dollar contract is put out on his life, Aces tries to pull one final disappearing act before a bevy of hit men and assassins try to rub him out for good in this tongue-in-cheek comedy thriller. 

Co-starring Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds and Andy Garcia, this little seen gem quickly found an audience on dvd and cable and spawned its sequel, Assassins' Ball.

In this go around, Tom Berenger stars as Walter Weed, an unassuming desk clerk at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him.  Suddenly, a team of unseemly assassins are dispatched to knock him off, led by Vinnie Jones and Tommy Flanagan, in the hopes of winning the huge bounty on Walter's head.  

Though not as ingenious or mischievous as the original, SA2 does pack a powerful punch on its own, lead in part by a memorable power-tool wielding psychopath killer. 

 

I'd say the first is smokin and the second is a little hazy.

Whiteout

Warner Brothers / 2009 / 101 mins / Rated R

MSRP: $35.99

Don't laugh but here's the premise, Kate Beckinsale plays U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko, the only law enforcement on Antarctica when she's sent to investigate the unthinkable--the continent's first homicide.  But when Carrie starts scratching the surface she finds herself in a deadly mess, involving a long-buried mystery under Antarctica's frigid environment.  

As winter closes in, it's up to Carrie to stay one step ahead of the killer, in this ten-little-indians scenario.  To lend help and give some credibility to this 2009 thriller is Tom Skerritt, who's years seem to be catching up with him.  Even at 75, he's the best thing in this film's average frightfest.

That said, Whiteout is so bad at times it's positively enjoyable.  I first saw this at a critic's screening which had the audience audibly laughing and groaning at some of the film's key moments.  Visually stunning, with Canada doubling for the harsh Antarctic environment, Whiteout does manage a few honest thrills--but quickly runs out of air in the third act, ending with a limp showdown between Carrie and the killer.

Whiteout could have used a little whiteout on the script before filming.  Albeit it is worth a look for the bored and curious--but better for rental than purchase.  

WWII in HD

A&E / 2009 / 470 mins / Unrated

MSRP: $39.95

Seventy years in the making, over three thousand hours of color footage no one knew existed, WWII in HD represents the first documentary to show World War II from the perspective of both sides in full HD color.  

This fascinating series provides a period of American History with a necessary facelift - filling in the action with living color. Utilizing diaries of soldiers who fought in the war's most brutal attacks, WWII in HD gives a first hand account in heart wrenching detail.  

Culled from rare color archival footage and converted to HD in meticulous detail, even the most casual enthusiast will delight in this engrossing series, which until now has been virtually unparalleled in any documentary.

First presented on the History Channel, this thoroughly engrossing documentary reminded me of the painstaking efforts Ken Burns undertook for his famous documentary on the Civil War.  Not to be missed, it deserves a spot on your video shelf marking one of the most important periods in American History.