The Best DVDs of the Month for May, 2008
A founding father, a budding mother, a lone Senator, and a couple of robbers. Oh, and a guy dating a blowup doll. Yep, it's a pretty diverse group of picks for our Best of the Month for May, 2008.
Our spotlight title this month is the HBO miniseries John Adams, based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning book by David McCullough, and starring Paul "Mr.-Indie-Cred" Giamatti. HBO calls it "a moving love story a gripping narrative and a fascinating study of human nature." (Apparently they were so excited by it they forgot to use commas). We call it our number one pick of the month, and highly recommend you check it out.
John Adams
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, David Morse, American History
Director: Tom Hooper
Significance in Seven Words: Based on the book by David McCullough
Lars and the Real Girl
Cast: Ryan "Even-more-indie-cred-than-Paul-Giamatti" Gosling, Paul Schneider, Emily Mortimer, Bianca the Blowup Doll
Director: Craig Gillespie
Significance in Seven Words: Fake girl. Real love. It's not Mannequin.
Juno (Two-Disc Special Edition with Digital Copy)
Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Witty Dialog
Director: Jason Reitman
Significance in Seven Words: Turns out Bleeker had it in him.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner
Director: Julian Schnabel
Significance in Seven Words: The power of the imagination is limitless.
The Red Balloon
Cast: Pascal Lamorisse, Georges Sellier, The Red Balloon
Director: Albert Lamorisse
Significance in Seven Words: A timeless classic, first time on DVD
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, A Gnawing Sense of Desperation
Director: Sidney Lumet
Significance in Seven Words: Poignant drama, excellent performances, better in Blu-ray.
Charlie Wilson's War
Cast: Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Special Appearance by The Stinger Missile
Director: Mike Nichols
Significance in Seven Words: This says it all: Charlie Did It.
Alvin on May 07, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead was a HUGE disappointment. So much hype, but the movie itself fails to deliver. Almost all of the entertainment comes from the time shifting. If you were to unravel the movie and show it straight through it'd be super boring. I'm all for open endings, but the failure to wrap up just one character's story here really was a letdown.