This week: Tom Hanks gets robbed in more ways than one with Captain Phillips; Woody Allen is on another roll; and what is more needless – Machete Kills or The Starving Games?
► The true story of Somali pirates overtaking an unarmed container ship, Paul Greengrass’ CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is just what you expect from him – almost unbearable tension wrapped in a fascinating story. Even better, it’s the return of vintage Tom Hanks. His best performance in years was sealed in the final five minutes, when you’re reminded how great he really is (the Oscar snub is bewildering). If that’s not enough, Greengrass gets an out-of-nowhere riveting performance from Barkhad Abdi, in his first movie, as the pirate leader. One of last year’s best movies.
► Woody Allen…box office juggernaut? A strange thing has happened to the Woodman in recent years: While his budgets have stayed pretty modest at $15 million or so, his movies are suddenly making big coin at home and abroad. His last three – ‘Midnight in Paris,’ ‘To Rome With Love’ and now BLUE JASMINE – are three of his most successful films ever. It may be Cate Blanchett’s Oscar to lose this year as a New York socialite forced to start over in San Francisco after her husband (Alec Baldwin) is arrested. Allen also gets gold from Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K. and, yes, Andrew Dice Clay.
► Stretching this joke way past the expiry date, Danny Trejo and director Robert Rodriguez score plenty of guest stars for MACHETE KILLS, but this sleazy insanity is best enjoyed in short doses. This time, Machete is recruited by the U.S. government to stop whack job Mel Gibson from starting a nuclear war so he can go live in space. Or something. Kill, kill, blood, boobs, repeat. The shapeshifting hitman (Lady GaGa, Antonio Banderas make cameos) is good for a few laughs.
► Lake Bell scored big as writer and director of IN A WORLD…, winning Best Screenplay at Sundance last year for this sharp comedy about the daughter of a voice-over specialist who stumbles into the family business and later competes with her dad (Fred Melamed) for a lucrative film series. One of last year’s real charmers – Bell is impossible to dislike.
► In the twisted tradition of ‘Basket Case,’ Jacob Vaughan’s horror comedy BAD MILO! stars the always amusing Ken Marino as an office drone suffering from intense stomach pain. Turns out it’s a demon living in his intestines that feeds off his emotions. Peter Stormare is the therapist trying to keep his anger in check, and Gillian Jacobs is the girlfriend in a movie Abed from ‘Community’ would surely approve of.
► The good news is that THE STARVING GAMES, the latest ‘spoof’ from Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, pretty much went straight to video. The bad news is that they’re still making their brand of cinematic excrement while other, far more worthy people struggle to break into the biz. Are they even aware of how despised they are? How vile everyone thinks these movies are? Honey Boo Boo and Siri jokes…’nuff said. We’re one step closer to making them obsolete, folks. Stay the course.
► If you hate what ‘The Nightmare on Elm Street’ franchise became, the documentary NEVER SLEEP AGAIN will remind you why you were hooked to begin with. Daniel Ferrands’ exhaustive tribute includes more than 100 interviews while Heather Langenkamp narrates. Special features include extended interviews, a look at Langenkamp’s ‘I Am Nancy,’ and Freddy vs. The Angry Video Game Nerd.
► Martin Gooch’s steampunk mystery AFTER DEATH was a favorite at various horror/sci-fi festivals two years ago. After the death of their inventor father, his dysfunctional kids gather at his estate to settle his affairs. There they learn he lost his house to the bank paying for one last gizmo – a link to the supernatural world.
Also out this week:
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SO WHAT DVD/BLU-RAYS ARE YOU GUYS STOKED ABOUT THIS WEEK?!