The week’s DVDs begin in Bolivia:
DVDs for Nov. 6 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin in Bolivia:
Even the Rain (***1/2)
In Spain’s Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, a film crew descends on a Bolivian city to take advantage of the breath-taking countrysides and to exploit cheap labor. They plan to make a film about Spain’s 16th century foray into the country to take advantage of the countryside and to exploit cheap labor. But before filming completes, a local dispute over water rights engulfs the indigenous poverty-ridden peoples. The film crew, headed by the director (Gael Garcia Bernal) and the producer (Luis Tosar), also begin to have their own philosophical and personal differences. Fascinating dynamics unfold.
Not rated, 103 minutes.
High Ground (***1/2)
This inspirational documentary centers on eleven military veteran who nurse wounds of some sort, such as post traumatic stress, or the loss of a limb or, in one case, sight. But they all have positive attitudes, which fortifies them as they undergo training at a Colorado camp before they attempt to climb 20,000 foot Mount Lobuche in the Himalayas. Their mission seems impossible, but they confront it with understandable pride and determination.
Not rated, 92 minutes. The DVD includes two deleted scenes and two trailers.
A Man’s Story (***)
Documentary film-maker Varon Bonicos immersed himself in his subject, designer Ozwald Boateng, for 12 years, following him and capturing the pivotal events in his exhausting life. The animated Boateng goes from virtual unknown to having his own fashion line, opening London’s Fashion Week, to becoming head of Givenchy and eventually designing for several Oscar nominees. Boateng also meets, falls in love with, marries and then has children with a Russian model. By the end of the film, Boateng has returned to Ghana, separated from his wife and facing financial difficulties. Boateng flies through it all, exuding his undeniable charm, and, always, looking quite stylish.
Not rated, 98 minutes. The DVD includes a comprehensive 35 minute “making of” featurette.
Your Sister’s Sister (***1/2)
Lynn Shelton wrote and directed this romantic-comedy-with-a-twist that sparkles with clever dialogue. Iris (Emily Blunt) lets Jack (Mark Duplass), her friend and the brother of her deceased ex-boyfriend, spend a weekend at her family’s isolated lakeside cabin. Unknown to both, Iris’ lesbian sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) has camped there for the weekend. But Hannah lets Jack in, and before long the two share too much wine, setting the stage for a talk-filled weekend of regrets, recriminations, and reconciliations.
Rated R, 90 minutes. The DVD holds two separate commentaries.
The Pact (**1/2)
Much of this horror flick unfolds like any other standard entry in the genre. But writer-director Nicholas McCarthy delivers some unexpected, noteworthy jolts. When her mother dies, Annie (Caity Lotz) returns home for the funeral. Younger sister Nicole (Agnes Bruckner) still harbors ill feelings for the departed and stays away. But when Annie goes missing, Nicole returns to the house she grew up in. There, she enlists a psychic (Haley Hudson) and before long, Nicole is fighting against evil forces, both human and ghostly.
Not rated, 89 minutes. The DVD includes a 20 minute “making of” featurette.
Snowmageddon (**)
In this Syfy channel disaster movie, David Cubitt and Laura Harris play John and Beth Miller, who find that the snow globe that they thought was a Christmas present is instead a powerful device that, when shaken, can upset their town. Of course, the intrepid Millers and their children set things right.
Rated PG-13, 89 minutes.
Maximum Conviction (**1/2)
Action and abundant head knocking are provided by Steve Austin and Steven Seagal as they play a pair of ex-soldiers who arrive at a prison about to be decommissioned. There, their assignment is to re-locate two female prisoners, something that seems routine until another group shows up wanting to wipe out the entire facility.
Rated R, 98 minutes. The DVD holds a ten minute “behind-the-scenes” featurette and brief segments on Steve Austin, Bren Foster, and “Icons.”
Louie Anderson: Big Baby Boomer
Louie Anderson, stand-up comic, author, and Emmy-winning TV star of “Life with Louie,” performs his act in front of a receptive Las Vegas crowd. In the live show, big Louie tells stories and shoots off one-liners, while reflecting on many topics, with a focus on his growing older.
Not rated, 44 minutes.
The Love You Save (**1/2)
Robin Givens plays Alexis, a single mother who takes an unplanned examination of her life when her grown son brings a homeless man to dinner. Alexis reflects about her bounteous life and how she has much to be thankful for.
Not rated, 89 minutes.
And, finally, for kids this week:
Total Tinsel Collection: Prep and Landing,
Prep and Landing: Naughty vs. Nice.
Disney has packaged two holiday treats starring a savvy team of elves known for their “Prep and Landing” for Santa. In the first, mischievous elves Wayne (Dave Foley) and Lanny (Derek Richardson) prepare for Santa’s latest landing, but things just keep going wrong. In the second, Lanny and Wayne must retrieve some of Santa’s new technology from a bad little boy. Both are rated TV-G with a total running time of around 46 minutes. The DVD comes in Blu-ray, various formats, and combo packs. Also included are two animated shorts.
The Muppet Christmas Carol—It’s Not Easy Being Scrooge Special Edition
The Muppet gang is all here for this re-issue and Blu-ray edition of the 1992 version of the Muppets performing Dickens’ immortal Christmas classic. Michael Caine voices Ebenezer Scrooge, while a team of voices supplies the various Muppets as they take well known roles, such as Steve Whitmire voicing Kermit the Frog as he plays Bob Cratchit. Combining the Muppets with the magical Dickens guarantees laughs, songs, and constant entertainment.
Rated G, 89 minutes. The DVD comes in various combo packs and formats. It offers commentary, the interactive Disney feature “Disney Intermission,” a “behind-the-scenes” featurette, bloopers, a “Pepe Profiles” segment, and a featurette on how Christmas is celebrated in other countries.
And, finally, from this week’s TV arrivals:
Copper—season one
The first original drama ever produced by the B.B.C. quickly became its highest rated series ever. Tom Weston-Jones plays Kevin Corcoran, a New York City policeman in 1864. He has returned from the Civil War to learn his wife has disappeared and his daughter murdered. In each of the ten episodes, on three discs and on Blu-ray, Corcoran seeks to find his wife while uncovering various crimes in the notorious Five Points slums. He finds himself becoming increasingly drawn into a seemingly futile struggle against New York’s upper classes who seem immune to the laws.
Not rated, 440 minutes. The collection also includes select commentaries, about 36 minutes of deleted scenes, “making of” featurettes of 13 and 44 minutes, eight character video profiles, and more.
Also on DVD: The Amazing Spider-Man, Arthur Christmas, Dinotasia, Fire with Fire.