Page 2 of 3
Known for their contemporary urban dramas Menace II Society and Dead Presidents, The Hughes Brothers (aka Allen and Albert Hughes) returned last fall with From Hell (***), a box office disappointment that should find its audience on video. What makes this gruesome horror yarn about Jack the Ripper more than just a slasher flick with a pedigree is its insistence on presenting its sordid tale at ground level, exploring the social chasm that existed between the upper and lower classes as much as recreating the killer's grisly handiwork. This may not possess the macabre sense of showmanship that made Sleepy Hollow such a kinky kick (both films, incidentally, star Johnny Depp as a detective investigating bizarre murders), but on its own terms, it's an effective thriller that's densely plotted and well-paced. The two-disc DVD is a keeper, with imaginatively designed menus and a wealth of additional features such as audio commentary by the Hughes Brothers, 23 deleted scenes and a trio of documentaries.
As moviegoers watched a stiff Halle Berry gratuitously expose her breasts in last summer's dismal Swordfish, no one could have possibly predicted that they were watching that year's eventual Best Actress Oscar winner. Yet thanks to director Marc Forster and writers Will Rokos and Milo Addica (all relative newcomers on the film scene), Berry found herself with the role of a lifetime in Monster's Ball (***1/2). A relentless downer that eventually allows a few glimmers of hope to shine through, this casts Billy Bob Thornton as Hank Grotowski, a corrections officer at a Georgia prison who tolerates his racist pop (Peter Boyle), loathes his sensitive son (Heath Ledger) and enters into a relationship with the widow (Berry) of the Death Row inmate (Sean Combs) whose execution he oversaw. Monster's Ball makes very few missteps as it navigates its characters through its raw scenarios, and the ending -- both insightful and unexpected -- is especially memorable. So, too, are the lead performances: Berry has never been better -- frankly, I didn't think she had this in her -- while Thornton continues to demonstrate that he has few equals when it comes to playing ordinary joes. DVD extras include audio commentary by Forster, Berry and Thornton, deleted scenes and a feature on the movie's soundtrack.
Receiving only spotty distribution in this country, the Australian import Lantana (***1/2) is a godsend for discerning filmgoers who enjoy movies that work on multiple levels. An adult drama that could have been called Husbands and Wives or Scenes from a Marriage had Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman not already co-opted those titles, Lantana only looks like it's a murder-mystery. In truth, it's a galvanizing study of the complexities and crises that threaten to derail any given marriage. Anthony LaPaglia, a reliable character actor who emerges as a full-blown leading man here, is superb as an Aussie detective whose strained relationship with his sexy, sensible wife (Kerry Armstrong) leads him into a reluctant affair with an emotionally unstable woman (Rachael Blake). On top of this, the cop also has to contend with a baffling case that involves yet another troubled couple: a psychiatrist (Barbara Hershey) and academic (Geoffrey Rush) coping with the death of their daughter. The events that bind all these characters might seem like a gimmick in a lesser film, but here they're merely necessary stepping stones in a powerful drama about remorse, reparation and redemption. DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes feature and the theatrical trailer.
Must-See DVDs:
Jerry Maguire The first collaboration between Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe (before Vanilla Sky) was this wildly popular romantic comedy from 1996, about a sports agent whose crisis of conscience gets him booted out of his firm, with only one employee (secretary Renee Zellweger) and one client (struggling wide receiver Cuba Gooding Jr.) willing to tag along as he tries to make it on his own. For all its salient points about surviving in the 90s workplace and rediscovering the true measure of success, the film is ultimately an old-fashioned love story, distinguished by meaty dialogue and superlative performances from Cruise, Zellweger and Oscar winner Gooding. Extras on this enjoyable two-disc DVD include video commentary by Cruise (wearing a floppy fishing hat), Gooding, Zellweger and Crowe, deleted scenes, footage of the real sports agent on whom Jerry Maguire was largely based, and the Bruce Springsteen music video "Secret Garden."
Mobile
