Some more 2013 films that have hit video:
The Bling Ring
Based on actual events, a group of L.A. high schoolers pilfer the deserted yet shockingly left open homes of famous celebrities just because. There is a specific reason for their behavior, which is unfortunately said out loud at the end, but writer/director Sofia Coppola doesn't want to focus heavily on fluffed-up criminal melodrama. Instead, she chooses to document their crime spree as is, making the viewer ooh and ah along with the shallow teens as they take apart Paris Hilton's mansion like it was Rodeo Drive. It is amazingly riveting to watch these sequences, particularly the many trips to Hilton's simply because it is her true blue residence, no sets necessary. The deadpan comedy sprinkled throughout is often humorous though the subplot with Leslie Mann home schooling a couple of the robbers isn't as engaging. The entire young cast are perfectly suited, all displaying the correct insensitive reactions to their lawless behavior and their newly earned, dark sided fame. If you're the type of viewer who needs makers like Lifetime to spell it all out using soapy broadness and dreadful talent, look elsewhere; THE BLING RING would rather exhibit the actual mindsets of the burglars, while also pleasuring your guilty impulses.
FINAL REVIEW: 4 / 5
Much Ado About Nothing
Bringing one of his side hobbies to the big screen, Joss Whedon directs a group of his actor friends in a modern take of one of Shakespeare's most famous comedies, all filmed around his own luscious mansion. This choice of setting could be a deal-breaker for some; how no character is able to easily hear the private conversations of others in the cramp interiors is never explained. There's also the problem with Dogberry's security station being a slapdash set in Whedon's basement. Despite these questionable decisions (Messina is in California?), Whedon's take is a bountiful feast of alternative humor and lovely beauty. The black-and-white digital cinematography compliments the tragic aspects of the plot, people exploiting love and gossip and transforming them to death and eternal wrath, while also removing distracting elements like color, so that Shakespeare's writing can easily reach ears and win hearts. Whedon does add some of his own touches to the story, namely a brief silent prologue, to give the old text a contemporary spin without resorting to complete butchery or ruination. The entire cast is impeccable and sure to have people debating and picking out their personal favorites; for myself, Amy Acker is pretty amazing as the headstrong Beatrice and Nathan Fillion is one of the few to make Dogberry absolutely funny. Able to flare without resulting to excessive flourishes like Baz Luhrmann, Whedon makes MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING an enchanting ride.
FINAL REVIEW: 4 / 5
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
Reviewing a comedy is always hard to do but a stand-up's concert film is a higher challenge. I don't want to spoil any of the jokes and explain them away until they lose their luster. I will just that KEVIN HART: LET ME EXPLAIN is really funny when it centers on Hart's sold-out performances in Madison Square Garden. However, no matter what joke or vocal gag he spouts, the true highlight of the film is his honest ending statement about being lucky enough, both as a comedian and an African American male, to draw a mighty crowd in the most majestic venue of America. What falters the entire project are the stale comedic sketches that unnecessarily set up why Hart has stuff to say, filmed in a faux, polished documentary by Tim Story, and the circle-jerking montage of Hart conquering Europe and Twitter. These lame moments take time away from more interesting sights like Hart's video journals and the street pranks he performs, which are despicably shown more during the credits, or having a chance to explain what exactly his entourage do for him other than complaining about traveling on a bus. During subsequent viewings, skip the first acts and head to the great main event.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
Only God Forgives
ONLY GOD FORGIVES is an interestingly pretentious failure, ruining the three key ingredients that made DRIVE one of the best films of the decade. First off is writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn; his story of an American drug pusher seeking brotherly vengeance against a mysterious Thai police officer is incredibly superficial and misguided. The cop, played by Vithaya Pansringarm, is the real focus of the feature, let alone the only character truly likable, while the others just wallow in turgid melodrama. Refn's directing style here was to calculate everything, from the acting to cinematography, to be seriously stiff art but his rigid refusal to lower the tone or break out a laugh once in awhile drains any energy within the frame. As for Ryan Gosling, he is just utterly wasted, a pale shadow of his role as the Driver. He's only able to flash the tenderness of his weakling character at brief times when he's not just a walking zombie. Kristin Scott Thomas, on the other hand, is a campy, incestuous Mommie Dearest but at least she accomplishes the heightened attitudes Refn wanted. At least she's emoting, unlike Tom Burke as Gosling's brother, who's only in the first eleven minutes but is so unbelievably bad. Then, you have Cliff Martinez, whose score is acceptable, with the standout track being the theme of Gosling and Pansringarm's fight. Alas, most of his compositions sound too close to his work in DRIVE. Now that I mention it, the unnecessarily sadistic interrogation scene in a karaoke den is practically a copy of DRIVE's infamous hammer scene. There are some beautiful pieces throughout it and the ending dedication does somewhat answer what Refn was trying to accomplish. Nevertheless, the tedious surreality is simply too aggravating.
FINAL REVIEW: 2 / 5
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