Blue Valentine is one of those movies that chronicles the kindling and death knell of a relationship. Think Annie Hall, but minus the wit and the New Yorker neuroticism. It instead opts for a mumblecore feel, except with dialogue that doesn’t feel completely pointless and impenetrable. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling co-star as a failing couple struggling to keep it together, despite the numerous problems facing them. The film juxtaposes the complex beginnings of their romance with its subsequent floundering years later, the piece at the center being their awkward trip to a cheesy sci-fi themed sex motel in a limp effort to spice things up before the inevitable break-up.
The best thing I can say about Blue Valentine is that its tone does a good job of capturing that horrible feeling you get when you realize that you’ve fallen out of love with your significant other. While critics have been using the dreaded word “brave” when describing her performance, Michelle Williams brings an intense emotional weight to it that makes the story more engaging than it otherwise would be. While she shares some great moments with Gosling, such a lovely scene where she tap dances whilst he charmingly sings and strums a ukulele, her co-star doesn’t really come through at all times. Gosling’s performance stinks of blue-collar working-class posing, like when a New Yorker thinks they can pass off a southern accent in a movie. He can do the stubborn, occasionally drunken male well, but the other elements come off as forced. Williams is the only thing preventing the lead performances from being anything other than self-congratulatory, though the film’s sexual content brings it damn close.
Movies that examine the complexities of romantic relationships always interest me, but Blue Valentine offers little to invest in. As we watch the relationship unravel, there isn’t enough there for the death of their marriage to have any real meaning, we are asked to feel that it does simply because the movie asks us to. Blue Valentine does have its moving moments, but it’s ultimately a cold experience.
For those of you who don’t want to buy every single one of the Alien films on Blu-ray in that big box set that came out a few weeks back, you’re in luck this week. Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection are all getting individual Blu-ray releases. It’s a foregone conclusion that the first two are universally loved. Sure, people get fussy over which cut of Aliens they like, but for the most part, we can all agree that Alien and Aliens are solid slabs of tasty fried gold. The last two is where we get into controversial territory.
A lot of people hate Alien 3, mainly because it’s such a Debbie Downer coming off the euphoric conclusion Jimmy Cameron gave us in Aliens. But Alien 3 gives Ripley the best character arc possible, as the most interesting and challenging way to come off its predecessor would be to take away everything she has earned. It also took an admirable risk in that it didn’t rehash the gung-ho space marine action that Aliens offered up. Instead, Ripley finds herself stranded on a prison colony devoid of weapons, and filled with odd bald criminals. Not exactly the action-fest fans were probably expecting, instead they got the slow-burn horror of the original with director David Fincher’s own twist. That’s not to say it stands with the original, as the results are flawed, yet they are also fascinating.
Alien: Resurrection is another story. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a French guy more famous for movies like Amelie, the film is like violent, crazy funhouse that is only occasionally, um, fun. Written by Joss Whedon, the ragtag group of mercenaries at the story’s center seems like a prototype for his cult TV series, Firefly, but I must stress the word “prototype.” Michael “Top Dollar” Wincott plays the cool, roguish captain of the crew a la Nathan Fillion’s Malcolm Reynolds. Unfortunately, they saw fit to kill him at the start of the film’s second act, it would be like Captain Mal getting unceremoniously offed in the middle of the Firefly pilot.
The rest of the film is like one of David Cronenberg’s nightmares, it has a minimal amount of the atmosphere found in its predecessors, and instead opts for whackadoo characters screaming and yelling their way through a freakazoid monster movie. It’s all worth it to see an enraged alien-impregnated Leland Orser beat the crap out of a bad guy, grab his head, and make it explode like a watermelon when the screaming alien baby pops out of his chest. That’s comedy gold right there. Alien: Resurrection is a stupid movie, but dumb moments like this make me throw it on for cheap laughs every now and then. Guilty pleasure? Sure. Pass me a beer, fast-forward it to that chestburster bit, and I’m amused.
But hey, now you can pick and choose which Alien flicks get to sit on your Blu-ray shelf, in case you didn’t stuff like Alien: Resurrection stinking up the place. But methinks if you want Alien: Resurrection on your shelf, you’ve already been watching those awesomely gross monsters in HD.
(Note: the Alien Vs. Predator movies don’t count, because they just plain suck)
Alien is available on Blu-ray. Previously available on DVD
Aliens is available on Blu-ray. Previously available on DVD
Alien 3 is available on Blu-ray. Previously available on DVD
Alien: Resurrection is available on Blu-ray. Previously available on DVD
Other Noteworthy Releases
No Strings Attached: Ivan Reitman directs this rom-com starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. Also known by its French title, “Sex Friends”.
The Illusionist: Not the one with Edward Norton, but the 2010 French animated film directed by Sylvian Chomet, the animator behind The Triplets of Belleville. Based on a script by the late Jacques Tati, it seems Chomet brings his distinctive animation style to Tati’s form of physical comedy.
Avaible on Blu-ray/DVD combo
I Saw The Devil: The latest movie by Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, who also directed the twisty psycho-thriller Tale of Two Sisters and the oddball western pastiche The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Word on the street is that this one ain’t for the faint of heart.
Something Wild: Jonathan Demme’s odd-coupling road movie starring Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, and Ray Liotta gets the Criterion treatment.
Some Like It Hot: Billy Wilder’s acclaimed comedy featuring cross-dressing Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon starring alongside a dazzling Marilyn Monroe comes to Blu-ray.
Available on Blu-ray, previously available on DVD
The Misfits: Another Marilyn Monroe movie on Blu-ray, this one being her last before her untimely death. Here she co-stars with the always-badass Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift, in a script written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston. This movie was also the film Glenn Danzig’s legendary horror-punk outfit took its name from.
Available on Blu-ray, previously available on DVD
Justin Bieber – Never Say Never: I’ve never heard of this Justin Bieber kid. Is he, you know, kind of a big deal? Is a boy wearing a hoodie what the kids are into these days? This one comes out May 13th instead of May 10th, so this Bieber kid must think he’s pretty special.
This article originally appeared over at Parcbench.com
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