Even talented Wahlberg can’t save Contraband
NEW ON DVD
Contraband ½ out of five Mark Wahlberg stars as a supersmart smuggler who goes legit. Happily chugging away at his job as an alarm installer, our hero is forced back into the twilight world of drugs and gangsters, when one of his own makes a potentially lethal mistake. With the life of his wife (Kate Beckinsale) suddenly on the line, the good guy goes bad — again — but only for a brief moment to save the day. It’s all paint-by-numbers thriller with a less than mediocre script, but Wahlberg has plenty of charisma, and so does Beckinsale. Sadly, the female roles are entirely token, and Beckinsale’s talents are entirely underused. The rest of the cast is equally strong, thanks to the presence of Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas and Ben Foster, but even these talented character actors are reduced to cardboard dimensions as a result of bland writing and predictable plot points. Special features include Blu-ray, DVD, digital copy edition, deleted scenes, Under the Radar: Making of Contraband, Reality Factor: Stunts, feature commentary, DBOX motion enabled, U-control features, pocket Blu and BD Live features and more.
Titanic Mini-series:
Because who doesn’t want to relive tragedy over and over again? Indeed, if you’re going to go for tragic, you can’t do better than Titanic, and telling the story of doomed passengers who would meet their fate at the bottom of a cold, dark ocean. In this madefor-tv miniseries, we follow characters who are both real and fictional, as they embark on the White Star Line’s flagship. The first three of the four episodes essentially lay out the larger framework, and the finale pulls it all together in a dark vortex of gushing water and screams. Thanks to pretty good composite images that use computers and real effects, we actually get the scale of the disaster — even without the James Cameron real-world model. For those who remain fascinated with the most romantic maritime disaster, before captains abandoned sinking vessels and crew members crawled over passengers, this miniseries toasts the best of a forgotten era, albeit in soap-opera style. Special features include the complete series plus bonus footage and featurettes, including Curse of the Titanic Sisters and more.
Born to Be Wild ½ They were no doubt seen as somewhat insane when they started, but two women in different parts of the world were struck with the very same idea when they witnessed continuing wildlife tragedy. In Kenya, Dame Daphne Sheldrick saw baby elephants left orphaned by poachers. Without mothers, these young animals were left to die slow deaths of starvation, or even sun exposure, until Sheldrick opened her orphanage for the pachyderms. Her quest to save a whole generation of young animals is mirrored in Borneo, where a primatologist named Birute Mary Galdikas realized young orangutans were losing their family groups to industrial deforestation. To help the threatened species, she also set up a nursery, where the wee primates could learn the tools of survival — and re-enter the wild. This IMAX documentary does a good job showing us the beauty of the animals themselves, but in a rare twist to the genre, we also see the potential beauty of the human species when compassion rules the day. Special features include DVD/ Blu-ray/digital copy edition, Camp Leakey, Wild Filmmaking and Caregivers.
The Wicker Tree ½ Aficionados of horror can talk about Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man with the same fulgent fervour as a religious convert, so it’s rather fitting that Hardy’s second film explores the idea of faith, conversion and missionary commitment. A companion to the ’70s-era original, this movie opens with a young American couple deciding to save souls in Scotland. Beth and Steve are Texans with an Evangelical bent, and they also sing country tunes. Yet all their social graces are rejected when they cross the pond and find themselves in the midst of ancient Celt tradition. Because watching confrontations between the narrow-minded and faithful has endless dramatic — as well as comic — potential, Hardy’s movie is rather interesting, even if it’s not all that effective in generating chills. Besides, watching Europeans take the Mickey and the mouse out of American culture is a rare, but always rewarding, pleasure. Special features include deleted scenes, making-of featurette and more.
Lassiter ½ A long-running affair with Tom Selleck’s moustache should never be a source of embarrassment, so embrace your ’80s self with this piece of cheesy puff entertainment set on the eve of the Second World War. Selleck does his best James Bond as Lassiter, a charming adrenalin junkie who gets off on stealing. Yet, when the government realizes the rising German Reich could get a boost to their bank account via uncut diamonds, they recruit the outlaw to protect the country. The writing is on par with any ’80s serial — which means godawful — but Selleck’s monotone delivery and blue twinkle are the perfect vehicle for bad writing, because you get the feeling he’s always winking at the material.
Also released Tuesday Canada: A People’s History Cinema Verite Lost Girl Patton Oswalt Poirot, Series Four Mr. Dressup, Tickle Trunk Treasures