Weekly Alternatives: 'The Way Back,' 'Last Night' and 'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold'
Don't like the major theatrical offerings, try these instead
| The Way Back |
 |  |
| How does a film from a director like Peter Weir, his first since 2003's Master and Commander, garner almost no advertising and receive a very modest release of under 700 theaters? Some things I'll never know. This thing coulda been a contender. Oh well. They can't all be winners now, can they? The Way Back, which mustered a meager $2.7 million domestic return, is now out on home video so now is your time if you didn't get the chance to see it (or didn't realize it was out) in theaters. The film follows a group of inmates (including Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris and Colin Farrell) as they escape from a WWII Soviet labor camp and walk 4,000 miles through every hardship imaginable to freedom. The entire cast is solid but Farrell, as the wildcard of the group, gives the film's liveliest performance. The film isn't perfect — it's a tad too long and we're left feeling like a horror audience guessing who will die next after the number of survivors is spoiled in the opening titles — but it's a compelling story and Weir manages a number of Lean-worthy landscapes that should look gorgeous on Blu-ray. | |
 |
| Last Night |
 | |
| I was hooked from the quietly captivating opening cocktail party scene, set to a hypnotic piano score, with Keira Knightley passing cold stares across the room to her husband (Sam Worthington) as he speaks with another woman (Eva Mendes). Last Night is the rare movie with visibly upset characters that doesn't force us to listen to 90 minutes of shouting. The facial expressions and body language of the excellent cast speak far more loudly anyway. The next night, with Worthington's character away on a business trip, they each face strong temptation, yet we're never sure exactly what's going to happen. Brad gave the film an "A-" review when he saw it at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, a review I wholeheartedly agree with. Just be careful how much you read about the film before you watch it as even the slightest gesture changes the flow immensely. And though, as always, we're including it below, please don't watch the trailer. It does no justice to the actual tone of the film, yet spoils the general plot structure. Last Night is now available On Demand and is well worth your $6.99. | |
|
| Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Move Ever Sold |
 | |
| If you still don't understand what Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is about, don't be ashamed — I had no idea until I saw it. But it's basically a "making-of" documentary that follows filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) trying to attain enough product placement to fund the movie you're actually watching. Get it? Got it? Good. There are plenty of hilarious business meetings between Spurlock and his advertisers, but also some rather candid comments from filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, John Wells and Brett Rattner on whether product placement compromises their artistic integrity. My favorite comes from Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights), proclaiming from his Universal office "G.E. is my boss, really, and they don't give a flying f*ck about art." I'm not sure what Spurlock's motive was in making the film, or if he intended for us to take anything away from it aside from just "well isn't that something!" but it sure makes for an entertaining watch. Greatest Movie opens in limited release today, so click here to see if and when it will come to a theater in your area. Oh, and be sure to check out Bill's interview with Spurlock if you haven't done so already. | |
|
Links from Other Sites You May Like
Showing 3 Comments
~ PLEASE NOTE ~
If, in any way, your comment is an attack on the author of this post or a previous commenter, your comment will be deleted without question.
Add a New Comment |
Click to Read Our Commenting Rules & Guidelines
I was hoping to watch The Way Back this week, but it's not in any of the video stores in my area. So I Guess I'll have to look forward until it's on netflix.
Wait a minute – they still have video rental stores? Since the nearby Blockbusters closed, I'm sure there is no rental store within 25 miles of me. I can't even think where the nearest one could be.
As one of the few who saw it theatrically, I say The Way Back is worth looking for. Don't you have a Redbox near you? They're at all the Walmarts and most supermarkets near me. Beats waiting for Netflix.
I think Redbox plays by the same 28 day rule as Netflix does with most new releases.