DVD of the Week: Billy Bob says you're picking up The Astronaut Farmer on DVD this week.

A film that did not do very well on its theatrical release back in February, the sweet, good-natured and yet slightly off-kilter (but GOOD off-kilter, you see) The Astronaut Farmer was just released to DVD on Tuesday.

It tells the story of Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), Ex-Nasa, who wants nothing more than to build a rocket and shoot it into space. He has a few hurdles, however: he's building the rocket all by himself, on his own coin, with only his family's help (who will run mission control? Why, his own son of course). The government steps in when Farmer wants to purchase some industry-level rocket fuel.

There's an unexpected level of love by Farmer's family. His wife is certainly concerned about the goings-on of her husband but is overall supportive of Farmer's plight. It's the basic law of marriage. As well, his kids are nothing but excited and want to see his dad in space. And they better be, because this guy is damned determined.

Deep down, that's the core of the story, to love and support your family no matter how insane the quest is. Another telling aspect of the film is knowing what you want to do and how to attain it, rather than let someone else get you down. "What do you want to do when you grow up?" asks Farmer to a student. "I don't know," the kid responds. "Well, you better figure know what you're going to do before someone knows it for you."

The images, lensed by cinematographer M. David Mullen and directed by the brothers Mark and Michael Polish, are just whacked out and cool enough to fall in love with them. One of the film's opening images has Farmer riding across the countryside, on a horse, wearing his spacesuit. Later, there's a beautifully framed shot of Farmer amongst a group of local dignataries in court...but wait, there's no "court" in this small town, so they have to hold it in the school gymnasium. A kid then walks in to play basketball and is stunned at the meeting that is going on.

The Astronaut Farmer has just a slight weird edge in this improbable story, and the reason it works is because the characters are so firmly drawn and fleshed out, and the filmmakers have backed them up with a movie that makes us care about it. They believe it, and so do we.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

DVD Of The Week: Riggs and Murtaugh implore that you pick up their triple feature.

Since there are absolutely no DVD's to recommend this week (and I would have recommended Black Snake Moan last week, but I still haven't watched my copy yet), allow me to point you to a strangely cool el-cheapo DVD that Warner was smart enough to release earlier this year.

In a curious move for Warner's budget titles, many of their catalog films have resurfaced in triple feature disc sets, which are for the most part full-screen only transfers of films jammed and compressed into one dual-layer DVD9 or one DVD18.

Since Warner was lazy enough to do full-screen transfers of their Lethal Weapon films, instead they have imported the previously released Director's Cut DVD's and put them on two discs.

Side one of the DVD-18 presents the amazingly awesome first Lethal Weapon, which is still one of the best action films ever made. Despite a few odd haircuts and an old Pepsi logo, the film still hasn't aged and packs an incredible punch.

Watching it again, I was amazed in deeply realized and careful the characters of Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are brought together. Both Vietnam veterans, Riggs is at the bottom part of his life after his wife was killed, and Murtaugh is a family man who is getting on in his age. That their characters are so fascinating to watch, it makes the bad-guy and action elements all the more tense to watch, especially when members of Murtaugh's family become targets.

I had never seen the director's cut before, so it was strange to see Riggs' brilliance introduced in a sniper sequence prior to the original one, where he busts a cocaine deal in a Christmas Tree lot sale. It's a bit repetitive to see Riggs save the day, twice, but I guess his lack of fear of losing his life is ongoing. A few other short scenes are added which give a bit more revelation to our two leads, and are welcome.

Lethal Weapon 2 is on the flip-side of the disc, and is just about as good as Donner's first film. Riggs is still kind of wacky and Murtaugh hasn't changed much, and the South African diplomat storyline is quite interesting. You also get to check out some very topless Patsy Kensit, as well as a full rush of adrenaline as Riggs goes absolute apeshit postal when she's knocked off in the last half hour.

On its own disc, Lethal Weapon 3 is the weakest of the trilogy, but still has enough fun action and big laughs to recommend. An ex-cop is selling armor-piercing bullets, the still-hot-as-hell Rene Russo is in her prime here, and there's a hilariously overdone motorcycle chase down the wrong way of a Los Angeles highway. I saw this film the most on laserdisc while growing up and going through my action phase, and it was amusing to see it again and realize how many of the lines I remembered.

Oh, and I thought Lethal Weapon 4 was pretty lousy, and would go against the whole "Triple Feature" concept, so it was not included. (If you're a completist, however, you should be able to find it in the $6.88 bin at Walmart.)

More info about this disc: Disc one is a DVD-18 (double sided, dual layered) which features the first three films in the same 2.40:1, anamorphic widescreen transfers with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound from the 2001 director's cut release. There are only the theatrical trailers for extras, the best being for the first film with outdated logos and horrible edits.

This trilogy can be found for about $10 in Future Shop, Walmart, HMV, et al, but be prepared to look around and ask for availability. Recommended if you can find it, however!

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The goofballs at Disney marketing say you're picking up Bridge to Terabithia on DVD this week.

As much as I admire Walt Disney Pictures this year for bringing some of the best films out of their studio in years, they and Walden Media are responsible for one of the biggest marketing blunders of 2007...the lousy theatrical trailers and marketing devoted to the early-year film Bridge to Terabithia. How can one of the year's best films have a marketing campaign scared of what the film is really about?

And you know what? I went along with it. I went into the movie not having read Katherine Paterson's book, instead having a theatrical trailer based around the film's five to ten minutes of visual effects whimsy. I came out of the screening 100 minutes later, in tears and a changed person, having witnessed an unforgettable gem about a real friendship.

Jess (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie (Annasophia Robb) are two outcasts at school. Josh enjoys his morning jogs and his drawing, while Leslie likes to create stories. Both are bullied by their respective classmates, something that they are trying hard to ignore. A chance meeting at school strikes up a small friendship, but as they realize they are neighbors and they have this unlimited amount of forest around them, they venture out and create Terabithia, a world limited only by their imagination.

I grew up with bullying. I grew up with long afternoons where my mom made sure I went outside and used my imagination. This film spoke to me so deeply about what it is like to be a kid and to create a place where only two people can share, and not to let anyone or anything impact it even when they still have to deal with harsh reality. Where the film takes you in the film's final act I can't say, but it is some of the most emotional filmmaking I've seen in a family film since "E.T.", and the film finalizes on a sequence of amazing power.

Even though the film did very well financially, I am still annoyed that Disney led a lot of people into the wrong movie. The effects are such a minor part of the overall package, which perhaps Disney was too scared to market to a younger audience. I think this is required viewing for kids, but also for the kid in all of us. We've all been there and we've been Jess or Leslie in some form or another, and it is nice to see a movie that admires imagination and being yourself as much as I do.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Chris Cooper says you're picking up Breach on DVD this week.

In case you haven't watched Stop Making Sense or The Third Man on DVD last week (you silly bean, you went out and rented Norbit or Because I Said So, didn't you?)

Breach hits DVD shelves this week, and has been lingering in my head ever since I saw it back in theaters in February. It is director Billy Ray's excellent follow up to his 2003 film Shattered Glass which featured a whip-smart yet seriously flawed character in Stephen Glass, who outwitted everyone with his fake articles at The New Republic.

Ray was definitely on my cinematic radar, and it's nice to see that he's developing a true style with his work in Breach. He follows his dynamic and flawed characters with the true story of FBI boss Robert Hansen (Chris Cooper, who still has Oscar possibilities with his amazing performance), who sold secrets to the Soviet Union. The film follows new agent Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillipe, excellent here) as he is assigned to track him.

Breach is not just a cat-and-mouse game, but an interesting study on the ethics and personalities of two men, one of which is a seasoned professional who is tired and weary after years of experience, and the other who is young, vulnerable and still has his heart in all of it. The film unfolds slowly and calmly, but it must to keep with the emotional weight of these characters.

I am currently finishing up an article on the best films of 2007 to date, and Breach is on the list. This is a tense and well done drama that I hope will find a bigger audience on disc.

Also out on DVD is the Glastonbury documentary, so if you want to get your rock on and have a good sound system to do so on, then by all means.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

David Byrne says you're going to track down my DVD instead of renting Because I Said So.

Since there are no new DVD's to recommend this week (unless, that is, you're dying to see Eddie Murphy in a fat suit all over again), I'm going to mention two films on DVD, the latter of which I'm anticipating I'll be making a double dip on soon:

Stop Making Sense - I had a stat holiday day off last week and not much to do, so I decided to give the 'ol house some cleaning. And there's no better way to clean your tabletops and dust off your shelves than to crank your speakers and jam out to what is possibly the greatest concert film ever made. Jonathan Demme filmed three nights of Talking Heads shows when they played in LA in 1983, and the resulting concert film is both a technical masterpiece and a study on the importance of shared experience and the way that live, performed music can make a connection to the viewer. Not only that, this film is flat-out fun and alive.

The Third Man: Criterion Collection - The journey of good 'ol Holly Martins to find Harry Lime in shadow soaked Vienna is all nice and restored; what else would you expect from Criterion? A new film print has been unearthed and slightly windowboxed to battle with all that nasty overscanning your TV does. The 2-disc set also has all new bells and whistles including a commentary by Steven Soderbergh and enough documentaries to cover this Carol Reed gem. I have yet to give this disc a spin (oh wait, I have to BUY it first) but I can't wait to check it out.
Jason
efilmcritic.com

(Also, I missed a Lazy Sunday update due to helping a friend move into his new house. More pictures are getting uploaded this week.)

Watanabe says you're picking up Letters From Iwo Jima on DVD this week.

In trying to resurrect my DVD of the Week series (and this whole blog in general), I'm hoping that at least once a week I can pick a movie for you. For those times that you're in a Ballbuster, a Rogersless or Flick Gallery, or wherever you rent the DVD's, and you have no idea what to look for. Well, now you do.

In the trilogy of the best films of 2006, Letters From Iwo Jima stands tall and strong. It is Clint Eastwood's followup to his very good, if not great, Flags of our Fathers which was about a group of Americans involved in the Iwo Jima battle. This film tells from the perspective of the Japanese side and Eastwood has made a war masterpiece that ranks along the works of Kurosawa. It's a bit difficult to compare to other war films, as we really haven't had many stories on Iwo Jima in the past. If anything, it earns comparisons to Das Boot in the way we are given a complex view of war from the "other side".

It also helps that Ken Watanabe gives one of the best performances of last year as the strong-headed general Kurbiyashi. He is also supported by a strong group of characters, all with their own perspective of the Iwo Jima battle, who add to the horrors and the brutal reality of this war of which they lost.

The film is beautiful in many ways. Along with the complex characters and performances, Tom Stern's bleak and dank cinematography adds to the horrors of the situation, and Clint Eastwood's haunting score stays with you days after you've seen it.

This is an unforgettable film that would make a great addition to your collection. Oh, and I don't want to hear any bull about you not reading subtitles. There is no english dubbing, there are instead simple and elegant words along the bottom of the frame to help guide you along this great film.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Jack says you're buying The Departed on DVD

Well well well,

I did the rare thing for the first time in two months of endlessly selling off my used DVD's...I actually bought one!

I found myself in the corporate conglomerate known as Future Shop (Yeah, and I frequent Cineplex Entertainment theatres and shop at Walmart too...aren't I a hypocrite?) to pick up a limited steelbook edition of The Departed on DVD.

And as some of my pals know, I love this movie to death. It's one of the best of 2006. Not only is it one of Scorsese's best flicks, but it is a story so richly layered with double-crossings, deception, lies and levels of power, and boy does it kick butt with repeat viewings. I normally don't see movies on a repeat basis anymore, but I viewed this mofo THREE times theatrically and have been counting the days until I can spin it on my home playa.

But what else did I see at Fuhrer Shop? A multitude of different editions of this flick:

- The 1 disc, widescreen edition that contains only the feature
- The same 1 disc but in the dreaded full-screen format (do any goofnuts still buy these?)
- The preferrable two-disc special edition featuring interviews and documentaries
- The previously mentioned steelbook edition, which houses same two discs of the SE
- A film only version on Blu-Ray DVD
- A release of the film on HD-DVD with the same special features of the two-disc SE

We're going format nuts! I was amazed I didn't see a Playstation Portable version on the same shelf.

(If you're one of those folks up in the Great White North that don't care for the dredded bilingual packing of their favorite movies on DVD, you'll be happy to know that the Steelbook edition is completely free of french text. Don't be fooled by the english/french insert on the back...it comes off.)

I'm still not that ga-ga over the whole Blu-Ray and HD-DVD format war that's going on right now. They both seem like good formats if you have fully invested in HD, for sure, but who knows which format is going to fold first? Right now, Blu-Ray is winning 3-to-1 in the sales, so I guess that's good for them. When all the dust settles and I feel like replacing my current television, maybe I'll make the jump. But those regular, low-res NTSC DVD's are still pretty hard to resist considering that the $6.88 bin at Wal-Mart is now 2/$10.00.

Oh, and if you do your homework, you can score discs off of Ebay for $1. Just a tip.

Jason
efilmcritic.com