What to Watch: Jan. 14-27, 2014

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Fruitvale Station
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

“Fruitvale Station”

The biggest winner from Sundance 2013 is coming home a year later. I have some issues with the dramatic structure of Coogler’s debut but I get why so many people love it and most admire the great performance from future star Michael B. Jordan and strong supporting work from Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz. This is an important story and while I may have some issue with the way it’s told here, I think there’s value in the telling. And, man, you’re ALL going to know Michael B. Jordan’s name soon, if you don’t by now.

Synopsis:
Filmmaker Ryan Coogler makes his feature directorial debut with this drama centered on the tragic shooting of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a vibrant 22-year-old Bay Area father who was senselessly gunned down by BART officers on New Year’s Day in 2009, and whose murder sent shockwaves through the nation after being captured on camera by his fellow passengers. Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, and Kevin Durand co-star.

Special Features:
o Fruitvale Staton: The Story Of Oscar Grant
o Q&A With Cast & Filmmakers

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes

Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

A well-intentioned melodrama, Lee Daniels’ film seems to be one of the most polarizing of 2013. Some love it. Some hate it. I’m more in the middle, appreciative of what Daniels was trying to do here but concerned about the shallow approach to civil rights required by his storytelling. See where you fall on the spectrum now that this surprising hit is on Blu-ray and DVD.

From Patrick McDonald’s theatrical review: “The timeline of the story is too extensive. What begins in the late 1920s ends in 2008, and there is too much territory to cover to make the narrative cohesive. It works because the butler’s family makes it work. It is the emotions of that tumultuous era that are played through them, and it was refreshing to see how a divided African American family might have weathered the sharp breakdown of their social culture in the 1960s.”

Synopsis:
Lee Daniels’ The Butler tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and family. Forest Whitaker stars as the butler with Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, and many more. Academy Award® nominated Lee Daniels (Precious) directs and co-wrote the script with Emmy®-award winning Danny Strong (Game Change).

Special Features:
o Lee Daniels’ The Butler: An American Story
o The Original Freedom Riders
o Deleted Scenes
o “You and I Ain’t Nothin’ No More” Performed by Gladys Knight and Lenny Kravitz
o Gag Reel

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes

Riddick
Photo credit: Universal

“Riddick”

David Twohy’s sci-fi sequel has a rocky opening act and ends in kind of a silly manner but that mid-section is a beauty. When the film essentially becomes a remake of “Pitch Black” and Twohy and Diesel are allowed to play at what they do best in that second act, “Riddick” connects. You may have to fast-forward through a bit of the first half-hour to get there but it’s worth the wait.

From my theatrical review: “When it embraces that low-budget, B-movie, John Carpenter-esque aesthetic, it works enough to recommend as a late-Summer bit of escapism but the movie is too bloated to stand next to the first. Still, more than after “Chronicles,” I’d happily see a fourth “Riddick” film. Why not at this point?”

Synopsis:
Vin Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick in the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga. A dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy, Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for him to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty. With time running out and a deadly storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy. Also starring Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Karl Urban (Star Trek Into Darkness) and Dave Bautista (WWE). Experience the Riddick: Unrated Directors Cut with an alternate ending!

Special Features:
o The World Of Riddick
o Riddickian Tech
o The Twohy Touch
o Vin’s Riddick
o Meet The Mercs
o Riddick: Blindsided

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes

Runner Runner
Photo credit: Fox

“Runner Runner”

Ugh. Every line in this awful thriller is either a play on betting against the house, pushing all in, etc. or an explanation of exactly who each character is, what they’re doing, and why they’re doing it. This is one of the worst scripts in a very long time, only minorly rescued by the star power of its cast. Affleck makes it out clean but JT is horrendously miscast here, not allowed at all to use his notable screen charm. Just a monstrous waste of time.

From Patrick McDonald’s theatrical review: “Off shore internet gambling sites, tons of money, glorious glamorous women, parties all the time – how the heck can all of that be dull? The new film “Runner Runner” found a way. Ben Affleck phones it in and Justin Timberlake is name recognition window dressing in this limp drama.”

Synopsis:
Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck star in this high-stakes crime thriller where the lure of easy money is the riskiest bet of all. When Princeton grad student Richie Furst (Timberlake) believes he’s been swindled by an online poker site, he heads to Costa Rica to confront gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Affleck), the man he thinks is responsible. But Richie will soon face the ultimate power play as he finds himself caught between Block’s promises of unlimited wealth and the zealous FBI agent (Anthony Mackie) trying to bring him down.

Special Features:
o Deleted Scenes
o House Of Cards: The Inside Story Of Online Poker

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes

Sunrise
Photo credit: Fox

“Sunrise”

Nearly every list of the most influential and downright best films of all time includes this 1929 silent film, a true classic making its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Fox. While one wishes that a studio like Criterion or Cohen had their hands on this one, it’s nice to be able own a film widely acknowledged to be one of the most important of all time. Stretch your understanding of film history earlier than 1970. MUCH earlier.

Synopsis:
This story of betrayal and redemption earned Oscars at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929 for the most “Unique And Artistic Picture,” Best Actress (Janet Gaynor) and Best Cinematography. The love and loyalty of a farmer and his wife are put to the ultimate test in this classic silent film.

Special Features:
o Original Fox Movietone Version and European Silent Version
o Commentary by ASC Cinematographer John Bailey
o Outtakes with Commentary by John Bailey
o Original Theatrical Trailer
o Original Scenario by Carl Mayer with Annotations by F.W. Murnau
o Original Sunrise Screenplay
o Restoration Notes

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD

You’re Next
Photo credit: Lionsgate

“You’re Next”

What a fun movie. Horror/thrillers are too often referred to as thrill rides but this one qualifies, thanks to a smart script by Simon Barrett, tight direction by Adam Wingard, and, most of all, a breakthrough performance from Sharni Vinson. Remember that name. You’re going to hear it a gain. “You’re Next” is a smart, clever thriller that will almost certainly gain a GIANT following on Blu-ray and DVD. Watch it before one of your friends Tweets about how you should.

From my theatrical review: “I wish the set-up was a bit more engaging and the tone more consistent but there’s a lot to like here, especially for fans of the genre looking for something that doesn’t need a supernatural twist to stay scary. Every issue I had with “You’re Next” was beat into bloody submission by what works about it – it’s a primal force of a movie, a sledgehammer to a genre in need of waking up.”

Synopsis:
Aubrey and Paul Davison decide to celebrate their wedding anniversary by inviting their four children and their significant others to a family reunion at their remote and slightly rundown weekend estate. But the family reunion goes awry when their home comes under siege by a mask-wearing team of crossbow-bearing assailants. The family has no idea who’s attacking them, why they’re under attack, or if the attackers are inside or outside the cavernous, creaking house. All they know for certain is that nobody is safe.

Special Features:
o No Ordinary Home Invasion: The Making Of You’re Next Featurette
o Audio Commentary With Director Adam Wingard and Write Simon Barrett
o Audio Commentary With Director Adam Wingard, Writer Simon Barrett and Actors Sharni Vinson and Barbara Crampton
o Theatrical Trailer

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com