Joey Magidson
Welcome back to my Home Movies! This week, we have the historical drama Nuremberg hitting shelves and leading the way. Today also features some fun Blu-ray and 4K re-releases, as well as a pair of notable Criterion Collection titles. What else is being released this time around? Well, read on to find out…
Joey’s Top Pick
Nuremberg
Nuremberg easily could have been a total slog. Given how somber the material could have been handed, that this version has a lively feel is actually admirable. The stately serious version would be respectful, sure, but in making it just as informative while also entertaining, more people will ultimately discover it. Russell Crowe steals the show as well, which is always nice to see. I spoke to co-star Michael Shannon here about the movie, so definitely give that a look, as he’s always a treat. My positive review of the film here began like so:
Once upon a time, a movie like Nuremberg was a dime a dozen. Historical dramas about major moments in American history, especially when filtered through a few specific real life individuals, used to dominate theaters, as well as the Academy Awards. These days, they’re somewhat rarer, hardly as high profile, and no sure thing for Oscar attention. At the same time, that comparative scarcity does mean that when a solid one comes along, it’s easier to appreciate. While flawed, Nuremberg is exactly that kind of flick. What easily could have felt like homework instead ends up reasonably entertaining.
Nuremberg surprises in that it has a lively personality at times, which pops up enough to take away any of the negative feelings you might have from seeing the expected sequences play out exactly as expected. This is hardly a surprising or groundbreaking work, to be sure. Instead, it’s just doing an old fashioned thing in a way that pleases more than it doesn’t.
Also Available This Week
Cruel Intentions (Blu-ray)
Hanky Panky (Blu-ray)
Lawrence of Arabia (4K)
Se7en (4K)
Criterion Corner
PlayTime
From The Criterion Collection: “Jacques Tati’s gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in an age of high technology reached their apotheosis with PlayTime. For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the lovably old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a baffling modern world, this time Paris. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, PlayTime is a lasting record of a modern era tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion.”
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A Woman Under the Influence
From The Criterion Collection: “This uncompromising portrait of domestic turmoil details the emotional breakdown of a suburban housewife and her family’s struggle to save her from herself. Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk give unforgettably harrowing performances as a married couple deeply in love but unable to express their ardor in terms the other can understand. This landmark American film is perhaps the most beloved work from the extraordinary John Cassavetes.”
Stay tuned for more next week!
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