New in Home Entertainment
July 23, 2013
Starbuck
Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug material
French with English subtitles
Available on DVD
When a sweet loser discovers that through a sperm bank mistake he now has over 500 children wandering the streets, of whom 142 have filed a class action lawsuit to discover who he is, he tries to get to know them by secretly doing kind acts for as many as he possibly can. Apparently when Steven Spielberg discovered this film at the Toronto Film Festival, he just had to make an English language version and thus hired Starbuck director Ken Scott to remake his own film in New York with Vince Vaughn titled “Delivery Man.” But why wait until Thanksgiving? This film is a perfectly lovable picture that in spite of its many flaws will have you glued to your chair with an intense smile. B+
An Affair of the Heart
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
My music collection numbers in the tens of thousands of tracks, but I still remember the first record I ever bought. I went to the local Sound Warehouse to pick up Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl single but it was sold out. Instead I picked up the single I’ve Done Everything For You and played it, along with the B-side Red Hot & Blue Love until the record broke. I’ll admit that both songs were inappropriate for a 9 year old but today’s hits can be far worse. For some reason I have always had a strange attraction to Rick’s music and after watching this new documentary about his fans I am finding that I’m nowhere near to being alone in this. While there is a good bit of music here, and it all rocks, most of the doc focuses on his rabid fan base that are truly dedicated to the star. So I’m not as crazy as some of these ladies, but I loved watching the connections Rick has made with his fans. And it appears I picked a good guy to follow as well since he seems to really be a caring and thoughtful individual who really gives back to his fans, making the relationship truly symbiotic. But whether or not you like his music, the movie shows a unique underground of otherwise normal people with a highly unusual fixation. This to me is what makes the film most entertaining. A
Home Run
Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This little Christian indie focuses on a professional baseball player whose life is changed when a DUI that almost kills his brother forces him to commit to community service in the small Oklahoma town he grew up in by coaching the local little league team and starting up a 12 step program for his alcoholism. The script is a little stiff at times and the directing isn’t always the best, but the decent acting and overall production value really make this a film worth watching for the right audience. Like many Christian films it can get a little preachy, but unlike most of them, it is not overly long and you don’t get a lot of the bad distractions from a film poorly made. Also, the theme of recovery from addiction in its many forms is a welcome message for those deeply affected by it. B
Babette’s Feast: The Criterion Collection
Danish, Swedish and French with English subtitles
Available on Blu-ray and DVD
This 1987 Oscar winner for best foreign film tells the story of two adult sisters in 19th century Denmark who take in a young French woman named Babette who is escaping her homeland. In return for her safe keeping, the young woman offers her services as housekeeper and cook. Years later, after Babette discovers that she has won the lottery, she decides to create a French feast for the village who have only experienced dull food their entire lives. It’s a little slow going getting to the dinner but once there the film is enlightening. It really shows how good food and wine can truly transform the soul. While it might not be the best movie about food ever made, it is easy to tell that it has served as inspiration for other remarkably tasty films such as Chocolate, The Big Night and Ratatouille. B+