BROKEN FLOWERS (2005). Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, this Jim Jarmusch gem takes Bill Murray’s accidental tourist from Lost In Translation and drops him into About Schmidt Americana territory. Here, Murray plays Don Johnston, whose catatonic existence receives a much-needed jolt when he learns he may have a son he never knew about. He embarks on a road trip to locate the mother — the candidates are played by Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and Frances Conroy (all excellent) — but as he moves from woman to woman, the mystery of the son becomes almost incidental; more prominent is the manner in which the hostilities increase the further he travels, as if by opening the door to his past ever wider he risks permanent damage to the roiling emotions he’s kept bottled up. This is a movie of wry humor and wry observations, and because Jarmusch never feels the need to spell out every character nuance or tie up every narrative thread, it’s certain to strike many viewers as much ado about nothing. But for those who appreciate the delicacy with which Jarmusch can spin a tale, the film will seem like that proverbial rose by any other name. DVD extras include an extended scene, outtakes and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Movie: ***1/2
THE CONSTANT GARDENER (2005). The best film of 2005, director Fernando Meirelles’ gripping drama somehow manages to make its central romance even more compelling than all the attendant global intrigue. Based on John Le Carre’s novel, the film stars Ralph Fiennes as Justin Quayle, a mild-mannered British diplomat living in Kenya with his outspoken activist wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz). They don’t seem like the most compatible match, and after Tessa is murdered, further details emerge that cast a dark spell on her fidelity and paint their marriage as a troubled one. Unfazed, Justin is nevertheless determined to solve the mystery of her death, and what he uncovers is a scandalous affair involving pharmaceutical conglomerates, low-life assassins and high-ranking British officials. With its unblinking (and accurate) examinations of the soullessness of corporations and the grotesque manner in which the Western world continues to ignore the plight of impoverished African nations, The Constant Gardener reverberates with a torn-from-the-headlines urgency. Yet what’s most startling about the film is the gale force of its love story, with characters so vividly brought to life (Fiennes and Weisz are terrific) that you leave the couch with a lump in the throat to accompany the fire in the belly. DVD extras include deleted scenes, an interview with Le Carre, and a look at filming in Kenya.
Movie: ****
ROGER CORMAN EARLY FILMS (1974-1979). It may not seem like the most logical match, but last fall, legendary low-budget filmmaker Roger Corman signed a deal with Disney that gives the studio access to over 400 of his titles for DVD release. It’s a shrewd move on Corman’s part, ensuring that his library will be in the hands of a major player with deep pockets. And if last month’s initial releases — three cult favorites stamped with the “Early Films” banner (a fourth flick, 2004’s DinoCroc, was simultaneously released with the “Sci-Fi Collection” label) — are any indication, Corman’s oeuvre has ended up in the right hands. Big Bad Mama (1974), like many Corman quickies a staple of the 1970s drive-in diet, casts Angie Dickinson as the title character who robs Depression-era banks with the help of her teenage daughters (Susan Sennett and Robbie Lee) and bickering boyfriends (Tom Skerritt and William Shatner). Death Race 2000 (1975), starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone, imagines a Y2K in which the national pastime is a racing event where the object is to wipe out as many pedestrians as possible before crossing the finish line. The best of the trio is easily Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), with PJ Soles delivering a disarming performance as a rock fan whose grudge match against her school’s dictatorial principal (Mary Woronov) receives a boost from the arrival of the Ramones. Thanks to a superb soundtrack, a quip-packed screenplay (my favorite: “Do your parents know you’re Ramones?”) and Soles’ boundless energy, it’s near-impossible to resist this film’s goofy charms. Extras on each DVD includes audio commentary by Corman and various cast and crew members, retrospectives and trailers.
Big Bad Mama: **1/2
Death Race 2000: **1/2
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School: ***
WEDDING CRASHERS (2005). This box office smash shuffles around Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and a “surprise” cameo from one of their frequent screen buddies (Ben Stiller or Will Ferrell? Go on, take a guess), and the result is pretty much what we’ve come to expect from this Hollywood version of a theatrical repertory company: rude, ragged and funny more often than not. Wilson and Vaughn play John and Jeremy, longtime buddies who crash weddings in order to sleep with the emotionally vulnerable women they encounter there. But the pair’s successful operation hits a snag once John falls for a level-headed bridesmaid (Rachel McAdams) while Jeremy finds himself being terrorized by her seemingly psychotic sister (Isla Fisher). McAdams’ vitality and Fisher’s zaniness match up nicely against the stars’ personalities; for their part, Wilson and Vaughn are in exemplary comic form, doing their best to lift a clunky screenplay that’s bogged down by the usual stock characters and predictable plot complications. For a better 2005 comedy in this vein, check out The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which just last week earned a prestigious nomination for its smart script from the Writers Guild of America. Wedding Crashers has been released in several DVD editions (as with many popular titles, viewers have the choice of acquiring either the Widescreen or Full Screen version), including the “Uncorked” cut which includes roughly eight additional minutes of footage; other extras include audio commentary by Wilson, Vaughn and director David Dobkin, deleted scenes, interviews with Wilson and Vaughn, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and “The Rules of Wedding Crashing.”
Movie: **1/2
This article appears in Jan 11-17, 2006.
