Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
‘Selma’ focuses on Civil Rights movement
Less a biopic of Martin Luther King (David Oyelowo) than a celebration of the civil rights movement, “Selma” (2014, Paramount, PG-13, $30) is set during the three months leading up to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The action largely pivots on King’s attempts to lead a peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery in the face of violent opposition. “Selma” depicts not only the bloody confrontations but also the political wrangling involving President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) and Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth). King’s marriage is also explored but Ava DuVernay’s gripping drama is, at its heart, a look at the power of nonviolent protest. Extras: featurettes, music video and commentaries by Oyelowo and DuVernay.
ALSO NEW THIS WEEK
Fifty Shades Of Grey: (2015, Universal, R, $30) Whatever Dakota Johnson was paid to play Anastasia in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s adaptation of E.L. James’ S&M romance it wasn’t enough because she almost single-handedly saves the film from sliding into camp. Johnson’s vibrant performance as a virginal English major is all the more remarkable given that co-star Jamie Dornan fails to bring much heat to the role of manipulative billionaire Christian Grey. With endless talk about a sexual contract and the notorious Red Room of Pain, “Fifty Shades” is pretty silly but at least Taylor-Johnson keeps it moving along at a good clip. Extras: three-minutes-longer unrated edition, featurettes and music videos.
The Last Five Years: (2014, Anchor Bay, PG-13, $22) An aspiring actress (Anna Kendrick) meets a would-be novelist (Jeremy Jordan) and they fall in love. But trouble looms when his career soars and hers stalls. Kendrick and Jordan bring so much energy and charm to this adaptation of the off-Broadway musical that you forget the flaws, including the needlessly confusing chronology. Go with the flow of the movie and you’ll enjoy the smart tunes, nifty performances and surprisingly stinging deconstruction of a relationship gone awry. Extras: singalong subtitles and featurette.
Mr. Turner: (2014, Sony, R, $30) Leave it to Mike Leigh (“Secrets and Lies”) to serve up a deeply unconventional biopic about British landscape painter J. M. W. Turner (Timothy Spall). Rather than trying to force an artificial plot onto Turner’s life, Leigh simply allows viewers to tag along with the great man as he deals with various women, overcomes the loss of his beloved father (Paul Jesson) and survives interactions with members of the British art world. Best of all, Leigh makes the whole movie look like a Turner masterpiece. Lovely. Extras: deleted scenes, featurettes and commentary by Leigh.
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Black Sea: (2015, Universal, R, $30) If you’ve ever wondered what an underwater heist movie would look like, check out Kevin Macdonald’s unique submarine thriller. A bulked-up Jude Law stars as a former navy submariner who, after getting fired from his job, rounds up a crew of desperate Brits, Russians and one American (Scoot McNairy) to unearth a treasure trove of Nazi gold buried at the bottom of the sea. The biggest flaw is that Law and McNairy are the only characters with real personality. That said, the film does a remarkable job reminding you that greed can corrupt even the best people. Extras: featurette and commentary by Macdonald.
••• Amira & Sam: (2014, Drafthouse, unrated, $25) “Freaks and Geeks” star Martin Starr delivers a quietly powerful turn in this charming yarn about a just-back-from-Iraq soldier who falls in love with the niece (Dina Shihabi) of an Iraqi translator. Just as Sam and Amira’s love story begins heating up, Sam is roped into a scheme to defraud veterans by his sleazy cousin (Paul Wesley.) Sublimely funny and touching, “Amira & Sam” grows in stature as it goes along. It’s rom com gold. Extras: featurettes, outtakes and commentaries.
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Miss Julie: (2014, Lionsgate, PG-13, $30) Liv Ullman’s faithful adaptation of the August Strindberg play about religion, class and forbidden romance has a lot going for it, including a ravishingly lush look and a trio
of knockout performances from Jessica Chastain as a wealthy aristocrat, Samantha Morton as her pious cook and Colin Farrell as the valet they both fancy. And yet despite all of its charms, the movie never comes close to grabbing you. Maddeningly static, “Miss Julie” plods along to the point of tedium. You keep waiting for it to spark to life but it never does. Extras: featurette.
••• One Foot In Heaven: (1941, Warner Archive, unrated, $20) A Best Picture Oscar nominee in 1941, this engaging adaption of Hartzell Spence’s biography about his Methodist minister father (Fredric March), follows the pastor and his wife (Martha Scott) as they travel from parish to parish spreading the word. Despite its episodic nature, “Heaven” does a good job capturing how constant innovation impacts the reverend’s mission. The scene of the minister and his son taking in a William Hart silent western is a joyous illustration of the power of movies. Extras: none.
••• GoodFellas-25th Anniversary
Edition: (1990, Warner, R, $35) Years before “The Sopranos,” Martin Scorsese’s look at mob life centered as much on the day-today operations of the organization as it did on the heists, violence and grudge matches. Scorsese fashions the story around Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), an Irish-Italian mobster who eventually testifies against members of his crew. But it’s the details of mob life that stick with you: Henry and his wife’s (Lorraine Bracco) sweeping entrance into the Copacabana nightclub, the way a mob boss (Paul Sorvino) slices garlic with a razor, and the family dinner which interrupts Henry, Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy’s (Joe Pesci) murder of a fellow thug. Still astonishing after all these years. Extras: featurettes and new retrospective doc.
••• Wife, Husband and Friend: (1939, Fox Cinema Archives, unrated, $35) Once the highest paid actor in Hollywood, Warner Baxter is all but forgotten today. That’s a shame because in “Wife, Husband And Friend” he shows off his talent for comedy by playing a blue-collar contractor who tries to stop his wife (Loretta Young) from pursuing a singing career only to become a singer himself. It’s a crazy premise cooked up by, of all people, noir novelist James M. Cain. But it works. And the screwball shenanigans, set in the world of opera, feel fresh and lively. Extras: two additional features starring Baxter.
••• Fright Night - 30th Anniversary Edition: (1985, Twilight Time, R, $30) Tom Holland’s old- fashioned horror movie centers on a suburban teenager (William Ragsdale) who teams up with a washed-up B-movie actor (Roddy McDowall) to bring down the vampire next door (Chris Sarandon). The 2011 remake starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant had its moments but the original does a better job of balancing laughs, scares and special-effects-driven action. The highlight is the performance by McDowall who hams it up as a has-been actor modeled after the likes of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing. Extras: commentaries and featurettes.
••• Masters Of Sex - Second Season: (2014, Sony, unrated, $55) If you’re depressed about the end of “Mad Men,” give this smart and sparky Showtime series a look-see. The feel of the show about sex researchers William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) is a bit different this season thanks to the temporary suspension of the pair’s pioneering study. In the most heartbreaking turn, Beau Bridges returns as a closed gay man who believes shock therapy will “cure” him of his impulses. At its best, “Masters” uses small details to get at larger truths about American life in the ‘50s. Extras: featurettes and deleted scenes.
••• The Mentalist - Seventh And Final Season: (2014, Warner, unrated, $40) With serial killer Red John laid to rest, Patrick Jane (Simon West) is finally able
to focus on his romance with FBI associate Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney). Of course, the final season is not without its share of drama, much of which is supplied by a resurfacing femme fatale from the psychic’s past. Extras: unaired scenes and featurette.
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Wolf Hall: (2015, PBS, unrated, $35) “Homeland’s” Damian Lewis reigns supreme in his new gig as Henry VIII. The focus is on Henry’s desperate efforts to produce a male heir. With help from political fixer Thomas Cromwell (masterful Mark Rylance), the King is paired up with Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy.) The six-hour minseries, adapted from Hilary Mantel’s best-selling novels, is costume drama of the highest caliber. Extras: featurettes.