Summer is winding down and school is starting back up which means the world of entertainment goes into a bit of a lull. This means it is the perfect time to catch up on some DVD releases you may have missed out on the past couple of weeks, or at least something to think about while you’re waiting for the bus.
The highlights include Tom Cruise saving us from the future, two-thirds of the best movie of the year, and Scotsmen stealing booze.
“Oblivion”
This is a slow, plodding, beautifully filmed movie that is billed as Tom-Cruise-packed, run-and-gun science fiction. I enjoyed its quiet dullness and stunning visuals, both of which are likely to suffer when trying to watch on a small screen with the neighbor’s dog barking in the background. It’s still interesting enough to check out, plus it has Morgan Freeman.
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Man oh man did I want to love this movie. It is absolutely great with Ryan Gosling robbing banks on a motorcycle and Bradley Cooper as a conflicted cop on his trail. It’s easily the best movie of the year until it jumps ahead 15 years and the movie becomes all about their sons and goes right off the rails and flies into a nitroglycerine plant. Ugh. At any rate, it’s worth basking in its almost-brilliance.
“The Angel’s Share”
This light and bouncy import tells the story of a group of Scottish parolees who become whiskey aficionados and then hatch a plot to swipe a rare and valuable whiskey in order to improve their fortunes. It’s a fun and sweet little movie that’s a good distraction and not much else unless you are really into Scottish accents.
