Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008 - (Page 14)

REVIEWS I THE LATHER EFFECT Street 5/27 Anchor Bay, Comedy, $26.97 DVD, NR. Stars Connie Britton, Tate Donovan, Ione Skye, Sarah Clarke, Peter Facinelli, David Herman, Caitlin Keats, William Mapother, Eric Stoltz. Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS T he generation of teenagers who saw The Big Chill when it first came out 25 years ago are now thirty- and fortysomethings looking to reflect on their youth. It comes as no surprise that a die-hard 1980s kid, writer-director Sarah Kelly, took inspiration from that dealing-with-middle-age film, as well as the coming-of-age movies of John Hughes. With The Lather Effect she tries to reconcile these two elements of late 20th century American cinema and form something of a hybrid. With her clearly modest budget (nearly two-thirds of the film takes place in and around one location, a standard lesson from Indie Film Production 101) wisely spent on a large, bright, energetic and appealing ensemble cast, Kelly crafts an engaging multiplot tale that gradually reverses itself from being thick on ’80s trivia, heavy on references to group nostalgia and rather light on genuine dramatic narrative. This ultimately results in some genuinely rich, moving moments in which realistically complicated characters get to stop, reflect and take stock of where they are, where they have been and where they might go. Predictably iconic images of the era are trotted out as characters parade about in wardrobes that evoke “Miami Vice,” Madonna and Risky Business, with Facinelli in Ray Bans oddly looking more like Tom Cruise than Mapother, Cruise’s own flesh and blood. In one of the captivating featurettes, Kelly and Stoltz, who both stars and serves as associate producer, muse on the nature of being a production assistant. Kelly PA’d on a few Stoltz films and he famously PA’d for Kelly’s idol, Cameron Crowe, on Say Anything, which also starred The Lather Effect’s Skye. Kelly’s undeniable feel for period authenticity extended, of course, to the vintage “Greatest Song Ever” soundtrack of the characters’ youth and only serves to make the film stronger. – David Greenberg symbols of American history, this second installment is more transparent as an excuse for the elaborate treasure hunt. The end Street 5/20 Disney, Adventure, B.O. $219.5 million, $29.99 DVD, $34.99 two-DVD set, $34.99 Blu-ray. result is a flawed but ultimately entertaining film that hopefully will encourage viewers to learn more about the true stories ‘PG’ for some violence and action. that influenced the screenwriters. Stars Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Ed Harris, Harvey Keitel, The best extras on the two-disc set deal Bruce Greenwood, Helen Mirren. with the film’s attempts to tie the storylines to American history. Most interesting ith its globe-trotting adventure and is a profile of the Library of Congress that flair for re-interpreting takes viewers on a virtual tour behind the ancient secrets, perhaps scenes of the world’s largest library. it’s no coincidence the home video There’s also a featurette that details the release for Book of Secrets is timed meticulous care taken in putting together the for the same week as the theatrical prop for the Book of Secrets. A handwriting release of the new “Indiana Jones” expert, using authentic ink from the period, movie. actually created pages for each president in their In this follow-up to 2004’s National handwriting. Treasure, Nicolas Cage returns as treaThe concept of a Book of Secrets is an intriguing sure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates, one, although I’d be curious to see William Henry who along with his father (Voight) hope Harrison’s entry (he caught pneumonia at his inauguto clear the name of an ancestor imration in 1841 and died just one month into his term). plicated in a lost page of John Wilkes The movie doesn’t delve into the logistics of such a Booth’s diary as the architect of the book, such as the impracticality of only presidents conspiracy to kill President Lincoln. The key clue being allowed to read it, and how VPs would learn of rests within the pages of a clandestine journal, the so-called Book of Secrets, kept by American presidents and passed it if the president died. Surely the sitting president must also leave a note to say where it’s hidden. to their successors. A few deleted scenes fill in some plot holes. Where the first movie was clever in its exploitation of various – John Latchem W I CASSANDRA’S DREAM Street 5/27 Genius/Weinstein, Drama, B.O. $1 million, $24.95 DVD, ‘PG-13’ for thematic elements, some sexual material and brief violence. Stars Colin Farrell, Ewan McGregor, Tom Wilkinson, Sally Hawkins, Hayley Atwell. assandra’s Dream is Woody Allen’s 38th film and the third in a row based in London. As in Match Point and Scoop, his other two Anglophile films, Cassandra’s Dream is a murder mystery spiked with the politics of the British class system. McGregor and Farrell play working-class brothers who struggle to rise above their roots by gambling and faking wealth with borrowed cars. Their pursuits soon find them in substantial financial trouble. Thankfully, they have a C wealthy uncle (Wilkinson) who can save them from loan sharks and debt. However, their uncle’s help comes with a price, and the brothers must decide if his monetary aid is worth committing an unspeakable deed. We’ve seen this morality play before, long ago in Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors and more recently in the far superior Match Point. Despite a winning musical score by Philip Glass, Cassandra’s Dream disappoints as it feels notably restrained and rushed. 14 Home Media Magazine May 18–24, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008

Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008 Contents News TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.