Home Media Magazine - February 17-23, 2008 - (Page 18)

REVIEWS I MICHAEL CLAYTON Street 2/19 Warner, Drama, B.O. $46.2 million, $28.98 DVD, $35.99 Blu-ray or HD DVD. ‘R’ for language including some sexual dialogue. Stars George Clooney, Sydney Pollack, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton. A Explore hidden fantasies, as average housewives learn to release their inhibitions and become sexually insatiable. Hot adult film stars Syren, Cytherea and Tyler Faith makeover ordinary women and transform them from drab to sensual. They soon shed their conservative ways and release their deepest and most repressed desires. fter his experience writing the deliciously hedonistic The Devil’s Advocate a decade ago, Tony Gilroy wanted to make a film about the lawyers who work in the trenches, not the courtrooms. Clooney stars as the title character, a “fixer” for a prestigious law firm who gets caught up in the behind-the-scenes machinations of a class-action lawsuit. His firm is defending a chemical company in a multibillion-dollar case brought on by farmers who were poisoned by a defoliant. Clayton’s colleague (Wilkinson), assigned to lead the defense of the chemical company, suffers a nervous breakdown, falls in love with a plaintiff witness and begins to collect evidence against his own client. His actions make Michael question his own role in life. The film utilizes a drab color palette to match the murky morality of its corporate politics. The context of the case itself is somewhat boring, but that’s not what the film is about, and it serves as an effectiveenough setup for what turns out to be a nicely self-contained story of redemption. Michael Clayton is a film of quiet reflection, but certainly not the powerhouse implied by its bestpicture Oscar nomination. Other nominations went to best actor for Clooney, best supporting actor for Wilkinson and best sup- porting actress for Tilda Swinton, all richly deserved. The film also earned nominations for best director and original screenplay for Tony Gilroy, and original musical score for James Newton Howard. The DVD’s commentary track is essentially useless. Tony Gilroy spends most of it discussing his motivations for making the film and is joined by his brother John, the film’s editor, in telling various behind-the-scenes stories that really don’t add much to the experience. Anyone hoping the director would provide insights about the story is out of luck until near the end of the film, a reward for the film’s most ardent admirers who were patient enough with the Gilroy brothers to stick around. Also included are about six minutes of deleted scenes detailing a few subplots viewers might find interesting. – John Latchem I DARKON Street 2/26 PorchLight, Documentary, $26.98 DVD, NR. MARKETING POINTS: • Wildly successful nationwide PPV series • Wildly successful nationwide PPV series • Featuring top adult film stars Syren, Tyler Faith, • Featuring Evan Stone as hosts and sex coaches • An erotic twist on a hit reality TV makeover show T DVD FEATURES: • EROTIC PHOTO GALLERY • UNCENSORED TEASERS • 3 DISC SET CONTAINS 5 ONE HOUR EPISODES 3 DISC SET CONTAINS AND A ‘BEST OF’ SPECIAL his is a time of war within our nation’s borders. It’s just that most Americans don’t know it. War-gaming clubs, live-action roleplaying (LARP) groups, and the Society for Creative Anachronism have been staging battles for years. These sweaty skirmishes of swung foam swords and flung foam fireballs decide the fate of nations, tribes, heroes and villains, and Darkon is the best peek into this underground culture yet produced. If you scoff at this legion of nerds, geeks and other mild-mannered miscreants of American culture, this documentary may change your sneer to sym- pathy. Role-playing provides a healthy outlet for the shy, the underappreciated and the outsiders. When golden-haired, chubby Kenyon started in Darkon, he says he had trouble socially. Now, in Darkon, he’s a great king of Mordom and its imperialistic cadre of nations; in the real world, he’s a successful supervisor in his job, and proud to have a girlfriend. Skip, Kenyon’s rebel rival in Darkon, is a stay-at-home dad whose children seem to draw great creativity from his love of fantasy, heroism and knighthood. Stay-athome moms, loveless college students and the fantasyobsessed act out their aggressions, their insecurities and their dreams of living a big life in a world in which they feel so small. Fans of fantasy and role-playing games will adore this respectful look at a hobby dismissed by many. Sweeping shots of battles and a moving musical score by Jonah Rapino give these imaginative players the star treatment. If you’ve ever wanted to live out a “Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter” film yourself, Darkon proves you’re not alone. – Brendan Howard AVAILABLE 4/1/08 Price: $39.95 UPC Code: 854769001088 UPC Code: 854769001088 18 Home Media Magazine February 17–23, 2008

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Home Media Magazine - February 17-23, 2008

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