Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008 - (Page 16)

REVIEWS I CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR Street 4/22 content and some drug use. Edited by John Latchem Universal, Drama, B.O. $66.7 million, $29.98 DVD, ‘R’ for strong language, nudity/sexual Stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty, Emily Blunt. C harlie Wilson’s War represents a fine return to form for screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. He’s back in his “The West Wing” mode, this time taking a look at America’s Cold War policy in the 1980s. His dialogue is especially sharp, finding sublime humor in the many nuances and seeming inconsistencies of politics and foreign relations. Sorkin and veteran director Mike Nichols (The Graduate) are adapting George Crile’s book, which tells the story of a congressman named Charles Wilson, a Democrat from Texas nicknamed Good Time Charlie for his playboy lifestyle. Wilson, expertly played by Hanks, takes an interest in the plight of the people of Afghanistan following the invasion by the Soviet Union in 1979. Spurred by a socialite named Joanne Herring (Roberts), Wilson inquires as to the best way to secretly arm the Afghans to fight the Russians. His main partner in this effort is acerbic CIA operative Gust Avrakotos. Gust is easily the film’s breakout character, and the role earned Hoffman an Oscar nomi- nation for best supporting actor. Wilson’s efforts are further chronicled in two short featurettes on the DVD. One details the making of the film; the other presents a portrait of the real Charlie Wilson. History tells us Wilson’s success in Afghanistan was ultimately bittersweet. With its infrastructure gone and U.S. interests muted, Afghanistan soon found itself dominated by extremists. The extent U.S. policies in the aftermath of the Russian withdrawal contributed to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is a question for historians. Exploring such a cause-and-effect relationship is not the primary intent of this film or the DVD, although such connections are implied. In this regard, Charlie Wilson’s War finds itself in the middle of the usual Red-Blue disagreements over how U.S. foreign policy might empower those we alienate to do us harm. Conservatives will resent that the notion of blowback is even hinted at, while liberals who wished the movie delved deeper into the issue will probably be disappointed that the DVD does not. But if it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold, that probably means it’s just right. – John Latchem I 27 DRESSES Street 4/29 Fox, Comedy, B.O. $76.4 million, $29.98 DVD, $39.98 Bluray, ‘PG-13’ for language, some innuendo and sexuality. Stars Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Edward Burns, Malin Akerman, Judy Greer. ane (Heigl) is always a bridesmaid — sometimes several times in one night. A hopeless romantic, she seems in love with being in love, or at least with being in weddings. She also seems to be a bit of a hoarder, since she has kept every bridesmaid dress from every wedding she’s ever been in. The total? You guessed it: 27. After pulling double-duty at two weddings one Saturday night, she meets Kevin (Marsden), a cynic who also just happens to write her favorite wedding newspaper column. A twist of fate has Kevin snagging her datebook, and also his ticket to the ultimate wedding story. Of course, it’s not all poofy dresses and happy endings. When Jane’s sister (Akerman) whisks into town, she steals J her dream man (who also happens to be her boss), as well as her dream wedding, right down to the chance of wearing her mom’s wedding dress. In the vein of 13 Going on 30, 27 Dresses is cute, but also kind of cliché, all the way down to the group musical number. It’s also got a touch of The Wedding Planner; all three even cast the hilarious Judy Greer. However, it’s not the stereotypically goofy plotline that keeps this movie from being a true chick-flick favorite; it’s that Heigl somehow goes from being Knocked Up to knocked down, as we are supposed to believe that this beauty is the timid plain Jane. Behind the lace and frills, you’ll find plenty of DVD extras. A few notable featurettes include “You’ll Never Wear That Again,” which takes a closer look at all 27 dresses from the film, and “Running of the Brides,” a funny, frightening look at Filene’s Basement’s annual race for that special gown at special prices. – Rachel Cericola I MY BOY JACK Street 4/22 BBC Video, Drama, $19.98 DVD, NR. Stars David Haig, Daniel Radcliffe, Kim Cattrall. he romantic notion of war as a rite of passage for young men often belies its true horror. Such a dichotomy provides the central theme for My Boy Jack, a remarkable exercise based on the stage play by David Haig. Haig also stars as Rudyard Kipling, the famed British author who encouraged his son John (also known as Jack) to pursue a military career. Kipling strongly supported Britain’s role in World War I and suggested young men who did not serve should T be shunned. Rudyard himself had never served, so his son became somewhat of a surrogate. When John goes missing after only a few days on the front lines, his parents spend months searching for clues as to his whereabouts. The ordeal ultimately inspires Kipling to write the poem from which the film takes its name. The performances are strong throughout, especially Cattrall as Kipling’s wife, Radcliffe (“Harry Potter”) as John, and of course Haig. Ultimately the question becomes whether John should ever have gone to war, and it’s hard not to notice a few parallels with the current situation in Iraq. – John Latchem I ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA Street 4/29 Razor & Tie, Music, $24.98 DVD, NR. rank Zappa, who passed away in 1993, wrote 57 albums during his career and had another 18 released posthumously. This concert of Dweezil Zappa and a backing band touring on his dad’s tunes adds one more release to that pile. Zappa Plays Zappa will appeal mostly to Zappa completists, older fans who haven’t heard the songs in a while and anyone who might have seen the band play on tour. However it’s not effective for the casual fan or for purists; although many of the band members featured have played with Zappa before, it’s missing the main man — Dweezil is a skilled guitar player but lacks his father’s charisma and fascinating bizarreness. Nevertheless, the two-DVD set has a wealth of performances, featuring songs from Zappa’s rock-oriented output from the 1960s through the 1980s, F such as “Call Any Vegetable,” “I’m the Slime” and “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow.” Guests include Terry Bozzio and Steve Vai. Although sufficient bonus material is lacking, the set has enough songs to keep most fans satisfied. One note of interest: Dweezil reveals in the bonus interview that he was aiming to appeal to a younger audience when compiling his technically proficient but musically unadventurous band. If that’s the case, why do I feel like I’m watching out-oftouch Guitar Center junkies tool around for three hours? Maybe he should have enlisted Jack White. – Billy Gil 16 Home Media Magazine April 20–26, 2008

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Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008

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