This week’s group of theatrical movies is (according to the critics) one of the best of the year with a heavy emphasis on art movies dealing with serious social issues, many of which will snap up award nominations (or more) over the coming weeks. But there are some decent genre offerings as well plus a strong selection of anime releases including a Blu-ray edition of two movies featuring Osamu Tezuka’s Unico.Theatrical Movies
With the Golden Globes on tonight and the Oscar nominations due later this week awards season is in full swing and some serious films with awards potential arrive this week so those who enjoy art films will have plenty of choices including two excellent films from African-American directors, Lee Daniels The Butler (Weinstein Company, “PG-13,” 132 min., $28.98 BD/Combo $39.99), a somewhat contrived, but still powerful film that views the civil rights struggles of the past decades through the prism of a butler who has served the past 8 presidents, and Fruitvale Station (Anchor Bay, “R,” $29.98, BD $39.99) Ryan Coogler’s powerful film that tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22 year-old Bay area man who was shot in cold blood by BART officers at the Fruitvale train station on New Year’s Day, 2009.
Daniels’ film strains a bit in its juxtapositions of the broad sweep of history with the personal details of the life of its central character, but the performances, particularly those of Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, are exceptional. The independently made Fruitvale Station lacks the gloss that a more expansive budget allows The Butler, but its performances, particularly those of Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer, are also extraordinary—and few films have explored a day in the life of an average guy like Oscar Grant with more verisimilitude or feeling.
Another film of interest with African-American leads is Blue Caprice (IFC, “R,” 94 min., $24.98), which stars Isaiah Washington as the Beltway sniper John Allen Muhammad and Tequan Richmond as his patsy/accomplice Lee Malvo in an indie thriller that puts as much emphasis on character as it does on mayhem.
Another independent production well worth an art cinema fan’s time is Short Term 12 (Docurama, “R,” 96 min., $29.98, BD $34.95), a powerful film written and directed by Destin Cretton about some 20-somthing counselors at a foster home for teens where they are just a few years older than their charges. Brie Larson is superb in the central role in a film that is much more complex and interesting than the typical “teens in trouble” afterschool special.
All of the films above received excellent reviews ranging from a 99% positive for Short Term 12 to 94% for Fruitvale Station, 85% for Blue Caprice, and 73% for Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and it should also be noticed that the coming-of-age drama The Spectacular Now (Lionsgate, “R,” 95 min., $19.99, BD $24.99) got spectacular reviews and posted a 99% positive mark on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley (who will play Mary Jane in the new Spider-Man trilogy) give exceptional performances in this adaptation of the novel by Tim Tharp.
For those who enjoy romcoms with a little bite there is Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said (Fox, “PG-13,” 93 min., $29.98, BD $39.98), which stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the late James Gandofini in a clever story that should appeal to older viewers. The critics, who are not often kind to romantic comedy/dramas, gave Enough Said a very strong 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Those who like rock-and-roll (and documentaries) should check out 20 Feet From Stardom (Anchor Bay, “PG-13,” 91 min., $19.99, BD $24.99), director Morgan Neville’s hymn of praise to the back-up singers, whose talents have fueled the rock-and-roll explosion from Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” to the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”
Anime
Also due on Blu-ray is the Unico Double Feature (Eastern Star, “All Ages,” 180 min., BD $29.95), which includes high-def transfers of two feature films from the early 1980s based on a manga created by Osamu Tezuka, whose little pink-maned Unicorn character, a ultra-cute creation that reflects the influence of the Max Fleischer cartoons and which, in its own right, has had an immense impact on the continuing cult of cuteness (“kawai”) that runs through the history of anime and manga.
This week’s re-priced bargain release is a great one for YGO fans, Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 3 Complete Collection (New Video, “13+,” 1050 min., $49.95), which contains episodes 98-144 of the popular card game-inspired series.
TV on DVD
It’s a very light week in this category with animated and kid-targeted offerings taking the spotlight led by SpongeBob SquarePants: Patrick SquarePants (Nickelodeon, 182 min., $14.98), which contains fourteen Patrick-centric episodes of the popular Nickelodeon undersea saga, the Cartoon Network girl-friendly series Totally Spies: Season 3 Mission Mania (New Video, 286 min., $19.95) and Totally Spies: Season 3 Rank Super Spies (New Video, 286 min., $19.95), and Tom and Jerry Global Games (Warner Bros., 42 min., $9.97), which contains six cartoons from the modern T&J TV series that aired in 2005 and 2006.
Live action kiddie fare includes Power Rangers Megaforce, Vol. 2: The Mysterious Robo Knight (Lionsgate, 88 min., $14.98), and V.R. Troopers: Season 2, Vol. 2 (Shout Factory, 390 min., $19.93).
Vintage series due this week include the well-made 1960s sitcom Hazel: The Fifth and Final Season (Shout Factory, 720 min., $34.93), as well as the final season of another classic 60s show The Courtship of Eddie’s Father: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros., 586 min., $34.95), plus a great season of the innovative and sparkling 1950s sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis: Season 2 (Shout Factory, 865 min., $29.93).
--Tom Flinn
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.