THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998). Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Big Lebowski may be sloppy, repetitious and occasionally abrasive, but it’s also imaginative, sharp-witted and ofttimes very, very funny. Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski, an unkempt pothead who calls himself “The Dude.” An avid bowler – he spends his days knocking down pins with his buddies (John Goodman and Steve Buscemi) – The Dude finds his life turned upside down when a couple of thugs mistake him for L.A.’s other Jeff Lebowski: the incapacitated millionaire (David Huddleston) whose sexpot wife Bunny (Tara Reid) ends up getting kidnapped. To describe the movie as a shaggy-dog story wouldn’t exactly be accurate – it’s more like a whole kennel of shaggy-dog stories, as the Coens introduce a slew of characters and ideas without bringing a sense of closure to most of them. And yet, for all its haphazardness, the film works because the brothers’ ways with dialogue, characterization and genre deconstruction are as strong as ever. Julianne Moore co-stars as a snooty artist, while John Turturro puts in an outrageous (and too brief) appearance as a Hispanic pedophile named Jesus.
DVD extras include a 25-minute making-of featurette; cast interviews; a look at the dream sequences; an interactive map of the movie’s L.A. locations; and photos taken by Bridges during the film’s production.
Movie: ***
Extras: ***
BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (2001). Movies that adopt an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach are often maddening messes, but this French import is reminiscent of countless other films and yet still manages to retain its own swagger of originality. With a first half that plays like Sleepy Hollow, a second half that begs comparison to From Hell, and elements of Jaws, The Last of the Mohicans, The Company of Wolves and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon scattered throughout, this delirious experience covers most bases and makes at least a cursory stab at the few it misses. In 18th century France, a naturist/philosopher (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Iroquois companion (Mark Dacascos) are sent by the royal court to investigate a series of slayings in the French countryside. The creature responsible is reportedly a monstrous wolf, but as the pair investigate, they discover that several of the locals may know more about the affair than they’re admitting. This one’s got it all: martial arts, political intrigue, tender romance (between Le Bihan and Rosetta‘s Emilie Dequenne), steamy sex scenes (between Le Bihan and Malena‘s Monica Bellucci), and a snapping, snarling, bloodthirsty beast.
Extras on the new Director’s Cut DVD edition include 40 minutes of deleted scenes; a 78-minute behind-the-scenes feature examining various aspects of the production (including the effects and the fight scenes); a 77-minute documentary on the making of the movie; and 12 storyboards.
Movie: ***
Extras: ***1/2
HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962). To note that everything about How the West Was Won is big – from its setting to its all-star cast to its ultra-widescreen Cinerama presentation – is to issue an understatement. It took veteran Western writer James R. Webb, three directors – the legendary John Ford, the dependable Henry Hathaway and the serviceable George Marshall – and a cast of thousands (reportedly over 12K) to present this saga about the taming of the American West as seen through the eyes of the members of one pioneer family. Zebulon and Rebecca Prescott (Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead) head west with their clan in tow; daughter Eve (Carroll Baker) ends up marrying a frontiersman (James Stewart) and settling down on a farm while her sister Lily (Debbie Reynolds) becomes a saloon singer and gets mixed up with an opportunistic gambler (Gregory Peck). Eventually, the Civil War breaks out, and Eve’s now-grown son Zeb (George Peppard) answers the call of duty. Divided into five sections of variable quality, the film is too episodic to provide a comprehensive overview of this chapter in American history (and in a mere 164 minutes, to boot), but the production is first-rate all the way (Alfred Newman’s superb score is especially noteworthy), and it’s fun to play spot-the-star – John Wayne, Henry Fonda and Richard Widmark are among the other celebs who pop up here and there, while Spencer Tracy provides the occasional narration. Nominated for eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture), this won three, for Best Screenplay, Film Editing, and Sound.
Extras in the three-disc DVD edition include the 97-minute documentary Cinerama Adventure (2002); audio commentary by director of Cinerama, Inc. John Sittig, film historian Rudy Behlmer, music historian Jon Burlingame, Cinerama Adventure director David Strohmaier and stuntman Loren James; and the theatrical trailer.
Movie: ***
Extras: ***
MARRIED LIFE (2008). Now here’s a movie with a cast worth salivating over, but what’s the point when the end result turns out to be so negligible? Director Ira Sachs has assembled Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson and Rachel McAdams for a stifling domestic drama that promises mystery and intrigue yet only succeeds in wasting the talents of these fine actors. Set in 1949, this casts Cooper as Harry Allen, a pent-up businessman who seeks romance in a marriage in which his wife Pat (Clarkson) wants only sex. Harry falls in love with a war widow named Kay (McAdams), and he tells his best friend Richard (Brosnan) that he plans to leave Pat and settle down with the fragile and much younger woman. What Harry doesn’t tell Richard is that, because he can’t bear the thought of Pat suffering after he leaves her (since he’s sure she’ll be devastated), he plans to murder her; what Richard doesn’t tell Harry is that, from the moment he saw her, he’s been plotting to steal Kay away from his longtime chum. Clarkson’s presence brings to mind Todd Haynes’ superb Far From Heaven (in which she had a supporting role), and one suspects that, like Haynes, Sachs was hoping to present an homage to the Douglas Sirk melodramas of the 1950s. Then again, it’s impossible not to notice that McAdams’ Kay is dolled up exactly like Kim Novak in Vertigo, so it’s possible Sachs was shooting for Hitchcock comparisons. Either way, he falls woefully short, since Married Life lacks any semblance of genuine emotion as well as even one iota of sweat-inducing suspense. It’s best to ignore these scenes from a marriage; stick with Ingmar Bergman instead.
DVD extras include audio commentary by Sachs and three alternate endings.
Movie: **
Extras: **
TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993). Tim Burton has always exhibited an inclination to frolic with the freaks, so to speak. Like David Lynch, he finds beauty in what others deem unsightly; as a result, his movies have generally centered on societal misfits trudging through a Dali-esque landscape, often in search of acceptance from those who have rejected them. This 1993 release is no exception: It tells of one Jack Skellington, the spindly Pumpkin King who helps mastermind the mischief behind Halloween. But Jack begins to tire of his lot in life, and one day he discovers another annual occasion for festivities: Christmas. Tremendously moved by the goodness of the Yuletide season and wanting to be a part of it, he orders his minions to kidnap “Sandy Claws” and dons the old red-and-white himself. But instead of visions of sugar plums, he serves up shrunken heads, skeletal reindeer and other macabre items that quickly take the ho-ho-ho out of the holiday. On a visual level, the movie qualifies as poetry in stop-motion, as Burton (credited as creator and co-producer) and director Henry Selick take this infrequently used facet of animated artistry to giddy heights. But at a brisk 75 minutes, this is one movie that could stand to be a little longer, as we aren’t given enough time to become sufficiently acquainted with its intriguing fantasy world. Danny Elfman presents a melodious song score fashioned after a Broadway musical; he also provides the singing voice for Jack (Chris Sarandon handles dialogue duty).
Extras in the two-disc DVD edition include audio commentary by Burton, Selick and Elfman; a making-of piece; Burton’s classic short films Frankenweenie and Vincent; character designs and conceptual art; and Burton’s original source poem narrated by Christopher Lee. The edition also includes a digital copy.
Movie: ***
Extras: ***1/2
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS (2008). When invited to join me at the press screening for What Happens In Vegas upon its original theatrical release, a good friend declined, e-mailing, “I can only stand one Hollywood romantic comedy a year, and No Country for Old Men was it for me in ’08.” That quip’s funnier than anything found in the actual movie, and 20th Century Fox would have done well to hire him to pen the film’s screenplay. As it stands, this is the year’s umpteenth assembly-line rom-com, although it’s easier to take than most of its predecessors: It’s less obnoxious than Fool’s Gold, less forced than Made of Honor and less formulaic (well, by a sliver, anyway) than 27 Dresses. Cameron Diaz plays Joy, an ambitious Wall Street trader who’s just been dumped by her fiancé (Jason Sudeikis); Ashton Kutcher is Jack, a slacker who’s just been fired from the company business by his own dad (Treat Williams). They both decide to head to Vegas, where they meet, get drunk and wind up married. After sobering up, they realize they don’t even like each other, so once they’re back in New York, they try desperately to get a divorce; instead, the judge (Dennis Miller) sentences them to six months of marriage, requiring them to visit a counselor (Queen Latifah) weekly to monitor their progress. While the veterans in the cast are a welcome presence (especially Dennis Farina as Joy’s boss), the couple’s best friends are the same, nondescript group of dullards we usually get in movies like this. As for the leads, Diaz is typically winning, while Kutcher doesn’t blend in with the furniture as much as usual.
DVD extras include audio commentary by director Tom Vaughan and editor Matt Friedman; a joint interview with Diaz and Kutcher; six deleted and extended scenes; and a gag reel. A digital copy of the movie is also included.
Movie: **
Extras: **1/2
This article appears in Sep 2-9, 2008.
