Doubt

MIRAMAX

MOVIE A-

SPECIAL FEATURES B

DVD GEEK FACTOR 7.5

(OUT OF 10)

An acting powerhouse of mammoth proportions, Doubt is even
better upon a second viewing. While Naomi Watts was my pick for Best
Actress last year (for her incredible performance in Funny
Games), Meryl Streep was the best of the Oscar-nominated actresses.
She was robbed.

Streep is not alone in greatness. Philip Seymour Hoffman mesmerizes
as the priest you’re not quite sure about, and Amy Adams shows that
she’s capable of much more than sunshine and joviality. Viola Davis
actually out-acts Streep in one devastating scene; she plays a mother
who turns a blind eye to an aspect of her child’s welfare. I love this
movie, and I believe that Streep’s final scene is one for the ages.

SPECIAL FEATURES: A commentary from writer/ director John
Patrick Shanley, as well as featurettes on the score, the adaptation of
the play and the cast.

Slumdog Millionaire

20TH CENTURY FOX

MOVIE B-

SPECIAL FEATURES B+

DVD GEEK FACTOR 6.25

(OUT OF 10)

Is this the most overrated movie … ever? No; I’d say Out of
Africa and Legends of the Fall are more overrated. However,
this film’s Oscar dominance was disappointing to me. It’s good, but
it’s not that good.

Director Danny Boyle makes a nice-looking movie, no question, and he
found an interesting cast. But the whole Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire? angle just didn’t thrill me. I couldn’t get past the
silliness of this film’s premise: A contestant on the Indian version of
Millionaire knows all the answers and gets tortured for it. It
sounds like the plot of a bad Owen Wilson movie.

Also, I really don’t care for scenes involving shit. I just don’t
like them. Didn’t like the shit demon in Dogma, was not pleased
with the shit scenes in the Jackass movies, and didn’t care for
the sight of a kid swimming through a toilet in this one. It’s played
for laughs, but I was close to gagging.

On the plus side, the love story is sweet; the unknown actors can
actually act; I loved the Bollywood finale; and it looks incredibly
good in Blu-Ray. I just didn’t love the movie, and I don’t think I ever
will. I feel so alone.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Lots of features, including a Boyle
commentary, loads of deleted scenes and an in-depth look at the toilet
scene. You also get a digital copy. You know, I haven’t done anything
with these digital-copy things yet. Are they popular? Are folks out
there using them? Are they good drink coasters?

Frost/Nixon (Blu-Ray)

UNIVERSAL

MOVIE B+

SPECIAL FEATURES A-

DVD GEEK FACTOR 7

(OUT OF 10)

While I didn’t think this deserved its Best Picture nomination, it’s
a better film than Slumdog Millionaire. Ron Howard has made
better movies for which he and the film were both left out. I
still can’t believe Apollo 13 was snubbed. What the hell was
that about?

OK, I’ve gotten off track.

Frank Langella makes a rather convincing Richard Nixon in this
dramatization of the events surrounding the legendary televised
interview that David Frost (Michael Sheen) pulled off with the
disgraced president. I was surprised to see how indifferent the
networks were to Frost’s plans. The guy had to basically go syndicated,
because networks wouldn’t back him.

Langella and Sheen’s re-enactment of the event is dead-on. That
said, it’s just as absorbing to watch actual footage of the interview,
because that sucker was TV dynamite.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Regarding the real interview: The Blu-Ray
contains comparisons of the actual footage with the film. It’s pretty
amazing. You also get a feature commentary with the very likable Ron
Howard, making-of docs, cool Nixon-archive stuff and deleted scenes. A
great package.

The Wrestler

20TH CENTURY FOX

MOVIE A

SPECIAL FEATURES B

DVD GEEK FACTOR 8

(OUT OF 10)

A lot of Oscar contenders this week! This marked a terrific second
phase in the return of Mickey Rourke. He was decent enough in Sin
City, but his performance in The Wrestler was one of last
year’s best. Rourke plays a beaten-up wrestler who has given his life
and body to the ring at the expense of his health, his family and his
friendships.

Director Darren Aronofsky had a hard time getting this one off the
ground, mainly because the notorious Rourke was attached. He wound up
shooting it on a very low budget, and it has a raw feel, as opposed to
his more stylistic films like The Fountain. Hooray for the
casting of Marisa Tomei as a stripper.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Holy crap! You get an interesting look at
Aronofsky’s style when he walks into a scene and physically messes with
Rourke during a take. It’s a prime example of an actor and director
understanding that they will go to extremes to get what they want, and
you can see that moment during a behind-the-scenes featurette that is
well worth your time. You also get a Bruce Springsteen video.

This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2009.