Our latest DVD reviews include The Meddler, The Magnificent Seven, The BFG and Cafe Society. Reviews are by Jane Mayne and Karen Rutter. Here we go:
[star rating=”3″]
THE MEDDLER. Directed by Lorene Scafaria, with Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons
With writer/director Scafaria’s penchant for magnifying people at life’s crossroads (think Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World), it’s hard to know whether this vignette about a widowed woman with cash and lots of time to kill is meant to be a bit of a plodder, or if that’s just how this mid-life segment kinda panned out. Sarandon inflates her character with enough vitality to make her relatable, but a mediocre script and an overly distant and distracted Byrne (as her screenwriter daughter) don’t allow for any interesting flare-ups that match Sarandon’s (as Marnie) gamey, ready-for-action play. Ultimately it’s all a bit saggy, and Sarandon’s familiar caricature only skims along until J.K Simmons pops up – with a cool Harley and plenty of facial hair – that you feel maybe life won’t end up quite so dull for well-intentioned Marnie. Descriptions like modest, charming, pleasing and grounded all fit the bill here. Add in poignant, and you get the basic idea. EXTRAS: Commentary with Susan Sarandon and Lorene Scafaria; Gag Reel; the Real Marnie; The Making of.
Review: JM
Visit: Ster-Kinekor and follow on Twitter at @SterEnt
[star rating=”2.5″]
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Directed by Antoine Fuqua with Byung-hun Lee, Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Haley Bennett, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard, Vincent D’Onofrio
If only the Seven had kicked up a bit more dust, this replay might have cocked a few more barrels good-‘ole-fashioned Western style. But this reworking of the original is for the most part just a lacklustre cowboy story propped up with all the regulars – outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers, hired guns and a few fragile female folk. It’s a limited update of the cliched classic where the good people of Rose Creek fall under the control of mean industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). The townspeople seek out seven blokes to protect them. All in all, a tame gunslinger movie that’s located in the right little town, but it’s a touch too sleepy to really set your sights on. EXTRAS: Directing the Seven, Rogue Bogue, The Seven, Magnificent Music
Review: JM
Visit: Ster-Kinekor and follow on Twitter at @SterEnt
[star rating=”3″]
THE BFG. Directed by Steven Spielberg with Mark Rylance and Ruby Barnhill.
Perhaps not one of Spielberg’s most block-busting offerings (Is there such a word? You know what we mean), The BFG is nevertheless a charmer of a film. The movie is based on an expanded short story from Roald Dahl’s 1975 novel Danny, the Champion of the World, and remains pretty true to its narrative roots. In it, a little orphan girl named Sophie makes friends with a giant and together they save England (and the world) from a posse of not-so-friendly, flesh-eating behemoths. In the hands of Steven Spielberg, who is himself a big friendly giant of children’s cinema (E.T., the Raiders and Jurassic Park series), the film is a proficiently-delivered product with a soft heart. The BFG blends a great mix of performance capture technology, a lush score (John Williams) and a sweet cast to tell a gentle, often humorous and slightly poignant tale. EXTRAS: Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG, Melissa Mathison: A Tribute
Review: KR
Visit: Nu Metro
[star rating=”3″]
CAFE SOCIETY. Directed by Woody Allen with Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Steve Carell.
If Woody Allen had to hand-craft his own doppelgänger, he couldn’t do better then Jesse Eisenberg in Cafe Society. The young actor plays the suitably anxious, wide-eyed, fast-talking alter ego of the director with a skill that is almost unsettlingly apt, taking his previous Allen appearance (To Rome With Love) impressively to the next level. He’s teamed up here with Steve Carell (The Office) and Kristen Stewart (Twilight), who also bring their advanced game to the veteran auteur’s latest offering. Cafe Society is a dialogue-driven, visually pleasing riff on love, life, family and friends set in 1930s Hollywood and New York. Eisenberg plays a hapless young man who goes to Hollywood to seek his fortune with the help of his uncle (Carell), then falls in love with his uncle’s assistant (Stewart). But, this being an Allen movie, complications and a fair amount of angst arise, culminating in a bitter-sweet conclusion. Not an Allen classic, but not a bomb either.
Review: KR
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