February 9, 2010

One of the nominees for Best Picture comes to DVD, but will it get top honors this week?

The answer is, to no one who knows my thoughts on the year in film that was 2009's surprise, no. My choice for the PICK OF THE WEEK is a film that did pretty well at the Box Office, but was not regarded with the critical praise that I felt that it deserved. It's:
The Time Traveler's Wife
This was one of my most underrated films of the year. It's a surprisingly touching romantic drama with a tinge of science fiction to boot. Eric Bana did some good work in the lead role, but Rachel McAdams is extraordinary. The movie has a great take on the "love conquers all" theme, and I highly recommend that everyone who passed it up in theaters give it a chance on DVD.
-Falling short of top honors is a film that I like less than most, but recognize as a great achievement. It's A Serious Man, and while I felt it didn't add up to enough, I recognize that I'm in the minority (it did get a Best Picture nomination, after all), so if this film worked for you, now's your chance to grab it for home viewing.
-The rest of the releases this week are a mixed bag. At the top of the group is Bronson, and interesting indie biopic that was just a little to weird for its own good, though it's well worth watching. The other releases of some quality include My One and Only, which is fair, but features a good performance by Renee Zellweger, and Serious Moonlight, which is a comedy in need of more laughs. Heading downhill we have the "comedies" Couples Retreat and I Hate Valentine's Day, and the useless horror remake The Stepfather. None of these really worked for me, but if you digged them, enjoy.
-My Vintage pick this week is, in honor of the release Friday of Valentine's Day, a movie that obviously inspired this. It's Love Actually, and I adore this movie. I doubt Valentine's Day can turn out better than Love Actually, but we shall see. In the meantime, re-watch this modern classic with the special someone in your life.
-What will you be watching on DVD this week?

3 comments:

  1. I know my choice isn't popular, but hey, neither am I all the time...

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  2. Don't worry Joey, even with this horrible choice, I still like you.

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  3. Horrible to you, perfectly apt to me, since I disliked A Serious Man, but not nearly as much as other people I've heard complain about it.

    And I still like you too.

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