‘20th Century Women’ is flawlessly acted
Other new releases include “Tower,” Arsenal” and 1979’s “Chilly Scenes of Winter.”
For his follow-up to “Beginners,” writer/director Mike Mills uncorks “20th Century Women” (2016, Lionsgate, R, $20), a lovely, flawlessly-acted valentine to a single mom who’s so cool she’d give Lorelei Gilmore a run for her money.
Set in 1979, this autobiographical dramedy revolves around the teenage Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) as he tries to figure out what he wants out of life. He has plenty of exceptional role models, including his bohemian feminist mother (Annette Bening), his best friend (Elle Fanning) and a punk-loving boarder (Greta Gerwig).
Most filmmakers would lavish their attention on Jamie but Mills is more interested in the deliciously complicated women who surround him. Bening, in particular, gives “20th Century Women” a beautiful glow. Extras: featurettes and commentary by Mills. Also New On DVD Tower (2016, Kino, unrated, $30):
On Aug. 1, 1966, Charles Whitman rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and began opening fire, killing more than a dozen strangers over the course of a 96-minute siege. Keith Maitland’s remarkable documentary makes that terrible day come alive through the use of rotoscopic animation, archival footage and testimony from survivors, witnesses and law enforcement officers. The most eloquent interview subject is Claire Wilson who lost both her boyfriend and her baby in the massacre and who remembers the small acts of heroism which wound up saving her life. In the end, “Tower” is both deeply moving and visually stunning. Extras: featurettes and deleted scene.
*** Arsenal (2016, Lionsgate, R, $20): For a while, this thriller shot in the dingier corners of Biloxi, Mississippi has a lot going for it. “Entourage’s” Adrian Grenier stars as a successful contractor trying to help his deadbeat older brother (Johnathon Schaech) get back on his feet again. Director Steven C. Miller captures the complicated bond between the siblings and depicts the hardscrabble lives of everyday folks in the Deep South. Then, Schaech finds himself kidnapped by a local gangster (Nicolas Cage, in full-on crazy mode) and “Arsenal” becomes an ode to mayhem, with endless slo-mo shoot-outs and plenty of blood-dripping gore. Extras: featurettes and commentary by Miller and Schaech. *** A Kind of Murder (2016, Magnolia, R, $25): Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith (“Strangers on a Train”), this insinuating thriller pivots on an architect (Patrick Wilson) who is increasingly desperate to divorce his shrewish, suicidal wife (Jessica Biel). After reading the headlines about a bookstore owner (Eddie Marsan) accused of slaying his wife, Wilson becomes obsessed with the crime and begins to fantasize about ending his own misery with murder. The movie never quite clicks – it seems haunted by the far-superior “Strangers on a Train” – but there’s plenty of incidental pleasures, from the depiction of a snowy, smothering suburbia to Wilson’s skilled performance which walks a fine line between sympa- thetic and smarmy. Extras: featurettes. *** Julieta (2016, Sony, R, $30): The latest from Pedro Almodovar is a surprisingly wrenching drama about guilt and forgiveness that still manages to feel wonderfully fluid and light as a feather. Emma Suarez and Adriana Ugarte share the title role of a schoolteacher who’s unable to come to terms with the fact that her daughter abandoned her without a word of explanation when she turned 18. Largely told in flashbacks, “Julieta” is missing Almodovar’s trademark playfulness but it does possess a big-hearted compassion for all of its flawed characters. Extras: featurette. *** Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979, Twilight Time, PG, $30): If ever a movie benefited from a woman’s touch, it’s this hidden gem of a romantic comedy written and directed by Joan Micklin Silver (“Hester Street”) and produced by Trenton’s Amy Robinson. Now on Blu-ray, “Chilly Scenes” is told largely through flashbacks as a wage slave named Charles (John Heard) reflects on his bittersweet romance with co-worker Laura (Mary-Beth Hurt) after she returns to her husband (Mark Metcalf). In between dealing with his mentally-ill mom (Gloria Graham) and freeloading buddy (Peter Riegert), Charles vows to get Laura back. Barely released back in 1979, this charmer is about the crazy things we do to get through life. It’s the best film from the 1970s that you’ve never heard of. Extras: commentaries by Silver and Robinson. *** Police (1985, Olive, unrated, $25): Gerard Depardieu was at the peak of his popularity when he starred in this moody thriller from filmmaker Maurice Pialat (“Van Gogh”) about a Parisian detective whose investigation into a Arab crime ring leads to a dodgy relationship with a drug runner (Sophie Marceau.) Soon, thanks to Marceau and a crooked attorney, Depardieu is lured into a scheme involving a bagful of heroin and stolen cash. Pialat is a master at creating authentic atmosphere, both inside and outside of the police station, but he has no idea how to conjure up suspense. Despite a strong turn by Depardieu, “Police” is fatally long and uninvolving. Extras: none. *** Deluge (1933, Kino, unrated, $20): For years, this forerunner of the disaster epic was considered a lost movie but Lobster Films recently re-discovered a 35 mm print and restored it beautifully. It’s too bad the movie itself isn’t better. Crude special effects are used to depict a global tsunami which reduces Manhattan to rubble. After the epic flood, an attorney (Sidney Blackmer) is separated from his wife and kids and begins living in a rural outpost where he saves a young woman (Peggy Shannon) and struggles to hang on to his moral code in a world of pillagers and vigilantes. After a well-paced opening, the uninspired plotting and lackluster performances quickly sink this awkward entry. Extras: commentary and 1934’s “Back Page” also starring Shannon.
*** Blow-Up (1966, Criterion, unrated, $30):
Michelangelo Antonioni’s first English-language film is, in many ways, the quintessential ‘60s dazzler. Wholly consumed with questions of illusion and reality, this puzzle of a picture cleared the way for such envelopepushing entertainments as “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Weekend.” The action revolves around a hedonistic photographer (David Hemmings) whose camera might or might not have captured a murder in progress. As the swinging Londoner struggles to solve the mystery, his life suddenly takes on new meaning. Great score by Herbie Hancock too. Extras: featurettes and book about the making-of.
*** Wolf Creek:
Season One (2016, Lionsgate, unrated, $20): If you liked the 2005 slasher film and sequel, chances are you’ll also flip for this six-episode series which picks up a few months later. This time around, it’s American tourist Eve (Lucy Fry) who is out for revenge after sadistic poacher Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) slaughters her entire family. Both movies and the series make great use of the Aussie outback, which provides a sinister backdrop to all of the mayhem. Extras: featurettes.