DVDs

Review: 'Insidious' basks in the bizarre

Written by Gregg Shapiro Aug 30, 2011

'Insidious'

A throwback to classic ’70s horror pix such as "Burnt Offerings" and "The Exorcist," "Insidious" stars Patrick Wilson as teacher Josh, the patriarch of the Lambert clan. His wife Renai (Rose Byrne) is a music therapist and songwriter. Josh and Renai have two school-age sons and a baby daughter.

As the family unpacks and settles into their new home, unusual events begin to take place, culminating in son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) falling off a ladder, hitting his head on the attic floor and slipping into a coma. Three months later Dalton is still comatose and more bizarre occurrences are taking place, including bloody handprints on bedsheets, strange voices and sounds emanating from the baby monitor, and men appearing on the front porch and in various rooms of the house.

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Love hurts, scars and wounds in ‘Blue Valentine’

Written by Gregg Shapiro Jul 28, 2011

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams fall in and out of love in “Blue Valentine.” – Photo: Courtesy

‘Blue Valentine’

Just like the song says, love hurts, scars, wounds and marks in Derek Cianfrance’s romantic tragedy “Blue Valentine.”

There’s little doubt that this married couple – house painter Dean (Ryan Gosling) and nurse Cindy (Oscar-nominee Michelle Williams) – love each other when we first encounter them at home with their young daughter Frankie. But the unmistakable cracks are beginning to show, especially after Cindy fails to lock the yard gate and the family dog Megan gets out and is hit by a car.

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DVDiva: ‘The Kids In The Hall: The Complete Series’, ‘Drop Dead Diva’

Written by Gregg Shapiro Jun 16, 2011

The Kids in the Hall – Photo: Courtesy

‘The Kids In The Hall: The Complete Series’

Breaking ground in ways that “Saturday Night Live” never dared, “The Kids in the Hall” not only had male stars playing female characters, but also put them in situations involving physical contact and kissing. While the gay humor was self-deprecating on occasion, it was never homophobic. That’s especially remarkable considering that the time period when they were working (1988-1995) included the height of AIDS hysteria in the entertainment industry.

Well-executed queer skits included the “Running Faggot” song, openly gay member Scott Thompson’s riff on the word “faggot,” the caped queen who prevents a gay bashing, the outing of Broadway actor Jerry, closeted TV star Tony picking up a hustler, the “Liza’s Party” movie, a couple of same-sex marriage bits and Thompson’s “gay home alone outfit.”

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DVDiva: ‘All About Eve’, ‘Bazaar Bizarre’

Written by Gregg Shapiro May 6, 2011

‘All About Eve’

A longtime staple of the gay movie diet, the multiple Oscar-winning 1950 Bette Davis vehicle “All About Eve” (20th Century Fox) has made its way to Blu-ray to be enjoyed by future queer generations. Insightfully written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, “All About Eve” is a timeless, if campy, study of a backstabbing understudy. It’s a tale as old as the theater itself and never gets tired (see “Black Swan”).

Shot in black and white, which looks crisp in HD, and featuring humorous and revealing voiceovers from lead characters, “All About Eve” opens with Eve (Anne Baxter), receiving an acting award from the Sarah Siddons Society. But it was the performance that she gave leading up to getting the award that no one will ever forget.

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Review: 'Spine Tingler!' is a frightfully fitting tribute

Written by Gregg Shapiro Aug 30, 2011

“Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story.” – Photo: Courtesy

'Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story'

Showman and schlock horror-meister William Castle is given his due in Jeffrey Schwarz’s respectful 2007 doc, which has arrived on DVD. Featuring marvelous vintage film footage and informative interviews with renaissance man John Waters, filmmakers Jon Landis and Joe Dante, film critic Leonard Maltin, Castle’s daughter Terry and Castle himself, "Spine Tingler!" is a frightfully fitting tribute.

Often described as the poor man’s Alfred Hitchcock, Castle was born in 1914 and orphaned at 11. A high school dropout who was addicted to applause and attracted to storytelling, Castle had chutzpah and liked to create controversy, beginning with the manipulation of the press.

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DVDiva: ‘Birdemic: Shock and Terror’, ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’

Written by Gregg Shapiro Jul 14, 2011

Birdemic

‘Birdemic: Shock and Terror’

Revenge-seeking, throat-slashing, eyeball-gouging eagles and vultures wreak havoc on a Northern California town in the name of warning humans about the dangers of climate change in writer/director James Nguyen’s low-budget, pseudo-romantic thriller “Birdemic: Shock and Terror.” Bad sound and editing, non-existent production values, video game-quality animation and amateur acting helped “Birdemic” achieve midnight-movie cult status. But there isn’t any time of day that’s appropriate to watch this disaster of a disaster flick.

Ambitious software salesman and start-up green technology businessman Rod (Alan Bagh) runs into former high school classmate Nathalie (Whitney Moore), a model whose fashion shoots take place in a strip-mall photo studio. As their romance blossoms, Mother Nature has a meltdown, leaving flocks of seagulls and crows dead on a San Jose highway and providing a heat wave in winter.

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DVDiva: ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘Tough Love’

Written by Gregg Shapiro Jun 2, 2011

‘The King’s Speech’

Unjustly overlooked for an Oscar for his magnificent performance in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” in 2009, Colin Firth was rewarded the following year for his portrayal of stammering King George VI in Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech.”

The film begins in 1925, when a jittery Prince Albert (Firth) has to read a message from his father King George V (Michael Gambon) at Wembley Stadium. The plot follows his transformation into a more comfortable public speaker, thanks to the help of his wife (a restrained Helena Bonham Carter) and speech therapist Lionel Logue (a fantastic Geoffrey Rush).

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DVDiva

Written by Gregg Shapiro Apr 21, 2011

“Exit Through the Gift Shop” – Photo: Courtesy

‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’

In the tradition of modern art world docs such as “Beautiful Losers,” Banksy’s Oscar-nominated “Exit Through the Gift Shop” (Oscilloscope/Paranoid Pictures) is a visually dazzling experience. Narrated by Rhys Ifans, the film is set in a world where everything is a blank canvas, including billboards, street signs, subway cars, walls and freight trains.

Frenetic French filmmaker Thierry Guetta, who had a habit of obsessively filming everything, set out to make a doc about street artists while living in L.A. After filming his cousin, the street artist Space Invader, Guetta was introduced to the graffiti culture, which features artists who make their mark by any means necessary, including stickers, stencils and spray paint. Through Invader, Guetta met Monsieur Andre, Zeus and, ultimately, the legendary Shepard Fairey.

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DVDiva

Written by Gregg Shapiro Aug 12, 2011

Liana Liberato in David Schwimmer’s new flick “Trust.” – Photo: Courtesy

‘Trust’

When it comes to being an actor/director, David Schwimmer is no Ben Affleck. But his latest film “Trust” shows signs of improvement.

Annie (Liana Liberato) is a 14-year-old high school student who wants to play on the volleyball team. When she’s not texting, she’s making what she thinks are friends her own age in Internet chat rooms.

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DVDiva: ‘Last Tango in Paris’, ‘Never Let Me Go’

Written by Gregg Shapiro Jun 30, 2011

Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider in “Last Tango In Paris.” – Photo: Courtesy

‘Last Tango in Paris’

With its Francis Bacon opening-credits artwork and its Gato Barbieri score, not to mention riveting performances by Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Last Tango In Paris” stands the test of time. Nearly 40 years since its release, the uncut version, now available on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, may seem tamer today but it still has the power to shock.

Paul (Brando) is a middle-aged American whose wife committed suicide in the hotel owned by her family. Jeanne (Schneider) is a very young Parisian woman who meets Paul in an abandoned apartment. He’s been wandering the streets, mourning in his fashion. Jeanne is looking for a place to rent with her filmmaker boyfriend Tom (Jeanne-Pierre Leaud). In the apartment, Jeanne’s busy opening windows, while Paul’s avoiding the light like a vampire. After exchanging a few words, excluding their names (at his request), they have sex.

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DVDiva: ‘Love and Other Drugs’, ‘The People I’ve Slept With’

Written by Gregg Shapiro May 19, 2011

Jake Gyllenhaal in “Love & Other Drugs.” – Photo: Courtesy

‘Love & Other Drugs’

Watching “Love & Other Drugs” means never having to say you’re sorry because you wanted to see more of Jake Gyllenhaal’s body. Not since he threw down in a tent with the late Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain” has Jake’s snake gotten so much attention.

A throwback to the romantic dramadies of yore, “L&OD” begins in 1996, when high-end electronics equipment salesman Jamie (Gyllenhaal) is fired for banging the boss’ girlfriend. He’s down, but not out for long. The charming and handsome Jamie scores a job with pharma giant Pfizer and puts his ladykiller shtick to good use, charming receptionists and nurses in Ohio River Valley doctors’ offices.

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Salted and strapped

Written by Gregg Shapiro Apr 7, 2011

Photo: Courtesy

‘Salt’

As if to remind us that Russia and its citizens are still a threat to the well-being of the planet (see also “The Girl Who Played With Fire”), “Salt” (Columbia) sets teeth chattering with its Cold War revival mentality.

After spending two years in captivity in North Korea, CIA agent Evelyn Salt (a “Village of the Damned” blonde Angelina Jolie) is back at work in Washington, D.C. She’s living in the U Street corridor with German national and arachnologist husband Mike (August Diehl) and dog Burt. She gets on well with co-worker Ted (Liev Schreiber) and everything seems to be going along fine.

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