The week’s DVDs begin in Greenwich Village:
DVDs for March 11 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin in Greenwich Village:
Inside Llewyn Davis (***1/2)
In this sublime shaggy dog story from the Coen Brothers, Oscar Isaac plays Llewyn Davis, a mooch and a bit of a jerk. But in 1961 Greenwich Village, he also seems to be unequal parts of the many folk singers who broke on the scene about that time.
Davis’ disastrous personal life offers rich material because he is seemingly homeless, bumming a couch when and where he can. Plus, he has impregnated Jean (Carey Mulligan), the girlfriend of his good friend Jim (Justin Timberlake). Before long, Davis travels to Chicago, sharing time behind the wheel with the surly driver (Garrett Hedlund) for the musical oddity Roland Turner (John Goodman). Once in town, Llewyn auditions for the owner (F. Murray Abraham) of a folk club who rejects him outright. Back to New York, where the rest of the folk singers share various traits, as new songs blend in with some standards. The Coens never seem to take Llewyn or his cohorts seriously, but make an evocative, fun trip back in time with tuneful music and a deadpan hilarious line here and there.
Rated R, 105 minutes. The DVD includes the comprehensive, 43 minute “making of” featurette, “Inside ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’” with plenty of cast and crew interviews.
Wicked Blood (**1/2)
Abigail Breslin, first seen as “Little Miss Sunshine,” stars as Hannah, a teenage girl in some vague southern town (filmed in Louisiana) who tries to break free of the destructive cycle she finds herself in. She lives with her combative older sister Amber (Alexa Vega) and their drug addicted uncle Donny (Lew Temple). Hannah wants independence and seeks it by delivering drugs on her bicycle for her so-called “Uncle” Frank (Sean Bean), a local crime boss. But trouble rises, and fingers are pointed when Hannah decides she can make even more money by diluting the drugs and setting out on her own. Bad idea, child. Moderately entertaining but discomforting film from writer-director Mark Young.
Not rated, 94 minutes. The DVD includes four cast and crew interviews.
The Year of Living Dangerously (***1/2), The World According to Garp (***1/2)
The On Demand releases from Warner Archive become downright current with these two releases from 1982-1983. A youthful, chain-smoking Mel Gibson stars in The Year of Living Dangerously (rated PG, 1983, 115 minutes), an atmospheric political drama set in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1965 as dictator Sukarno feels the first rumblings against his repressive regime. Gibson plays relatively inexperienced journalist Guy Hamilton, thrown into the cutthroat, competitive scramble among foreign reporters for news to send home. But Hamilton quickly becomes connected, scoring interviews and sending back scoops, mainly due to information given him by photographer Billy Kwan, played in an odd bit of casting by Supporting Actress Oscar-winning Linda Hunt. As the political situation escalates, Hamilton juggles his dedication to report on the dangerous uprising against his new connection with Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), a British Embassy employee. Director Peter Weir subtly navigates the many personal and political threads while ratcheting up the drama. Robin Williams stars as the title character in Garp, the sprawling social comedy-drama based on John Irving’s mega-selling novel. George Roy Hill directed, deftly maneuvering among many themes provided by the story of a fiercely independent woman, Jenny Fields (Oscar nominated Glenn Close in her feature film debut), and the son she has had out of wedlock. As Garp matures (into Williams), he aspires to be a writer, finding middling success about the time his mother writes a best-selling feminist manifesto. Garp becomes a settled family man with his wife (Mary Beth Hurt), while his mother’s shadow hangs over Garp and his family.
Mademoiselle C (**1/2)
Dedicated followers of fashion might enjoy this fawning documentary from Fabien Constant. The loosely arranged work centers on former Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld. Constant picks her up as she lands in New York to create what she calls a publication “between a magazine and a book.” This enterprise eventually becomes “CR Fashion Book.” Constant follows his subject to various fashion shows across the globe (Paris, New York, China) and talks to high profile names: Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Donatella Versace, and others. Constant chronicles enough of Roitfeld’s personal life to render a cursory biography.
Not rated, 93 minutes. The Blu-ray also holds extra footage of the film’s Paris premier.
King of Chinatown (**1/2), Cruzin‘ (***)
Indiepix Films returns with two unrated, dissimilar documentaries. Both run around an hour. King of Chinatown centers on the efforts to turn video gaming into a mainstream sport. Director Calvin Theobold makes Justin Wong the focus, as he successfully competes in “Street Fighter IV,” ending with a turn in a big tournament. Cruzin’ follows U.S. Olympian Tony Cruz and 13 others as they make a 12 day, 1000 mile bike trek from North to South Vietnam, even touching on the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. Director Scott Nguyen paints engaging portraits of the riders as well as the country.
Cruzin’ includes commentary and a featurette on Ms. Vy’s Cooking Class.
And, finally, from this week’s TV arrivals:
Flintstone Kids—Rockin’ in Bedrock
This 1986 TV series starred the well-known characters from the Flintstones—Barney, Fred, Wilma, Betty, and with legendary Mel Blanc voicing Dino. The ten episodes, on two discs, take place when they were all children, thereby leading the series into more hijinks, such as misbehaving in school or having misadventures while playing baseball. The series also included many new characters not seen in the adult Flintstones. Kenneth Mars served as the narrator.
Not rated, 239 minutes.
Rogue—season one
The ten episodes of the initial season of this tough crime series that originated on DirecTV arrives on four discs. Thandie Newton stars as Grace Travis, an unusually stealthy undercover detective who searches for her son’s killer, mainly with the man she works for, evil mobster Jimmy Laszlo (Marton Csokas). Like in the plot from The Departed, Grace must pretend to be uncovering a mole while working to bring Jimmy down, thereby setting up weekly bouts of suspense.
Not rated, 500 minutes. The collection includes the “behind-the-scenes” featurette“Script to Screen,” and “Rogue Files” webisodes.
Also on DVD: American Hustle, A Brief History of Time, Frozen, Saving Mr. Banks, Viola.