New on DVD
That Evening Sun
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some violence, sexual content and thematic elements
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
While this little indie took home some huge prizes at major festivals including the Audience Award at South by Southwest in 2009, it largely escaped most audiences and will hopefully find a better home on peoples’ televisions. Sun tells the story of a retiree (Hal Holbrook) sentenced to nursing home life by his son. When he decides he’s had enough and wants to go back home to his farmstead, he finds his son has rented out his old place to an abusive father (played by The Blind Side’s Ray McKinnon) and his wife and daughter. Setting out to reclaim his home, he slowly escalates the feud between himself and the father until a war is inevitable. I think that one of the reasons this movie has won so many awards is due to the fact that it starts out like an old-fashioned picture and turns into an ugly drama that takes full advantage of the fantastic cast at hand. While everyone knows that Holbrook is fully capable of a role such as this, the real winner here is McKinnon who elevates himself from Hollywood character actor to a real talent. His performance should have been enough to get an Oscar nomination last year had enough voters seen the film. A-
Solitary Man
Rated R for language and some sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Michael Douglas is a man on top of the world until he decides to cheat in business and on his wife and gets caught doing both. Then he finds out he has a bad heart to boot. So drawing on the superficial relationships he has mustered up with his family and friends he attempts to get his life back together and figure out what is really important and what’s not. It’s hard not to notice the incredible cast on this one with Douglas, Danny Devito, Susan Sarandon, Mary-Louise Parker, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg and others, and they all have their own little great moments. It’s a troubling film to watch in that anytime you see a man bringing himself down it’s not easy, and he never really lifts himself up again, but the writer does a decent job of representing an introspective feel without boring the audience which is a very challenging thing to do. Douglas also pulls off an impressive performance worth taking a look at. B-
MacGruber
Rater R for strong crude and sexual content, violence, language and some nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This SNL spoof of MacGyver tells the story of a secret agent hired by the government to stop a criminal mastermind who has stolen a nuclear warhead. While I thought that the incredibly dirty jokes might make the film more interesting, they only ended up getting in the way. Then again, they were there because the plot was so stale that they needed something to bring laughs. I guess with a lame James Bond plot, they felt the only way to bring laughs was to stick celery up their butts. Well, they did, and now I can’t eat celery ever again. Thanks MacGruber. D+
Tommy: The Movie
Rated PG
Available on Blu-ray
The Who’s Tommy is now 35 years old and if you are a fan you’ll probably love the new blu-ray transfer. The good news is that the look and sound are beautiful and crisp. If this is one of your favorite movies, then by all means pick up a copy. As for me, the only scene I find watchable is Elton John’s Pinball Wizard and while it really does rock hard, the rest of the movie is just too much. Too weird, too sick, too drug-induced. C
The Office: Season Six
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Season six took a strange new direction with Dunder Mifflin leaving the picture and Kathy Bates picking up as the new overlord with her company Sabre stepping in. If they didn’t want us get tired of the same ol’ thing, well they got their wish. Then again, I didn’t find the humor as fresh or funny this last season as everyone was worried about romance with Jim and Pam’s wedding (which was a disappointment in my opinion), and all of the other inter-office couplings. That being said, I’m not giving up on it and am really looking forward to Michael Scott’s last year at the helm in the upcoming season seven. B