Tuesday, January 10, 2012: It's a fairly slow DVD and Blu-Ray Tuesday, but there are some very good things this week. First up is the long-awaited American release of Bela Tarr's The Man from London, made in 2007 and shown in festivals in 2008. It's a weird, black-and-white mystery made less for suspense and more for contemplation. Tilda Swinton stars, but has been dubbed! Then, if you missed Moneyball, definitely see it now. I wasn't kidding when I called it my new all-time favorite baseball movie. (It also made my list of the ten best films of 2011.) Many of my colleagues and other viewers had trouble with it since it was based on non-fiction, but took many liberties with the truth. My argument is that all baseball stories are part truth, part tall tale, and part legend, and this one is no exception.
From Romania comes Aurora, the latest from director Cristi Puiu, who also gave us The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. It's long, and like The Man from London, it's a new take on the crime genre. But though this one is definitely fascinating, it's also more than a bit baffling and even a tad annoying. Then we get a more traditional crime movie, Killer Elite, which sort of pretends to want to make audiences think, but in the end just gives up and throws in tons of fight/chase scenes.
Lastly, since Christmas I have been struggling to catch up with my pile of screeners, and I have at last reached the bottom. My late reviews this week are Tuesday, After Christmas (also from Romania) and Lionsgate's Blu-Ray release of Velvet Goldmine. Enjoy!
This Week's New DVDs and Blu-Rays
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