In The Loop (NR, 2009, IFC Films)
Let’s not waste time: “In the Loop” was the funniest collision of dry wit, satire and F-bombs to hit theaters in 2009 … and 2008, 2007 and possibly every year since the events that undoubtably formed its inspiration — the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq — took place. The war and principal characters in “Loop” are works of fiction, and between the film’s refusal to name a Middle Eastern country and its inclusion of some of the best Facebook and Google Earth references in a movie thus far, all indications point to this being current events in a universe parallel but not factually identical to ours. That’s fine, too, because “Loop” is a conversation about war the same way “The Big Lebowski” is a commentary about competitive bowling. There’s a call for war here, a call for restraint there, leaks spilling out everywhere and the eventual cramming of factual square pegs into ideologically round holes, but “Loop’s” primary objective is to present distinguished generals, small-time British ministers, press secretaries and everyone in between as petulant, petty, insecure overgrown children who lose control of their adulthood when they don’t get invited to the secret meeting at the secret clubhouse. “Loop’s” sharply hysterical script is as judicious as it often is vulgar, too, so no matter what views you have going in, some seriously vitriolic and very funny vindication awaits. Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Gina McKee, Chris Addison, Anna Chlumsky, Steve Coogan, Mimi Kennedy and David Rasche, among others, comprise one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory, if not ever.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature, TV spot.

The Hurt Locker (R, 2009, Summit Entertainment)
It’s seemingly been done a thousand times and a thousand ways over the last few years, but there’s always room for one more movie that depicts the absurd impossibilities of modern combat when that movie captures it as skillfully as this one does. “The Hurt Locker” follows a team of soldiers (Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce) whose primary objective centers around the disarmament of explosives — roadside explosives, could-be car bombs, huge caches of potent homemade weapons for which there is no instruction manual for proper disassembly — and whose job takes place in the view of citizens, children and the occasional enemy combatant indistinguishably standing in the same crowd. Discussions and productions about the Iraq War often have a tendency to lob numbers and technology around in a way that makes 21st century warfare sound like child’s play for desk jockeys and satellites, but “Locker” splashes cold water over that nonsense every time a soldier overturns yet another jumbled mess of wires that are one mistake away from leveling them while the enemy very possibly watches them work from a second-story window. If that’s easy, then everything’s easy, and viewers who see “Locker” for what it is — neither pro- nor anti-war, but a dramatized document of a real, seemingly impossible job some are tasked with completing to perfection — will be pressed hard not to come away with their appreciation renewed. That it so effortlessly adds up to one of the best action and suspense films of last year is, while certainly no accident, a nice bonus. Ralph Fiennes and David Morse also star.
Extras: Writer/director commentary, behind-the-scenes feature, stills gallery.

Moon (R, 2009, Sony Pictures Classics)
For three years, astronaut and contractor Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has lived and worked almost completely alone, mining the dark side of the moon with only an artificially intelligent robotic companion named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) providing any semblance of companionship. The assignment alone is enough to break most normal men in a fraction of the time, so Sam’s ability to keep it together — albeit helped along by the occasional video e-mail from his wife (Dominique McElligott) and child on Earth — is pretty remarkable. Or hey, is it? Saying any more about “Moon’s” plot trajectory would be to spoil the film to an unreasonable degree, so let’s just say that while the film’s lonely energy is pretty striking in its own right early on, enough stuff happens to take that loneliness places and satisfactorily fill the 97-minute runtime. Whether it takes a weird, scary, humorous, chilling, creepy, trippy or some other adjective-y turn won’t be specified here, nor will any specific instances to illustrate “Moon’s” gift for digging deep into the heart of its character and the crushing loneliness that’s closing in on him. If you like smart science fiction that touches on familiar themes in wholly original ways, spare yourself the spoilers, take a leap of faith and check it out.
Extras: Writer/director/producer commentary, additional crew commentary, short film “Whistle,” two behind-the-scenes features, two Q&A sessions.

Amreeka (NR, 2009, National Geographic/Virgil Films)
The talking points for “Amreeka,” in which a Palestinian mother (Nisreen Faour as Muna) and son (Melkar Muallem as Fadi) act on a chance to leave the West Bank, move in with family in downstate Illinois and take advantage of all that entails, aren’t hard to guess. But here’s what “Amreeka” gets right that a lot of films with similar intentions get wrong: It lets the ignorance fly from both sides, and it does so without preaching or abandoning its sense of humor. Yes, Fadi gets picked on at school by kids who call him a terrorist, and Muna feels shame and disgust when she realizes what 10 years of banking experience halfway around the world does for her resume in Illinois. But for every observation about Americans’ oft-misguided uneasiness regarding Palestinian immigrants, “Amreeka” fishes out a complementary and completely believable misconstruction about American culture courtesy of Fadi, Muna and family. Throw in some not-so-surprising generational gaps — a phenomenon that knows no border — and add a little humor, and suddenly “Amreeka” is so democratically steeped in silly misconceptions that nearly everyone emerges on the same footage once all is said and done. Transforming a film about immigration and Arab culture into a film about a typical American family is no trivial thing, but “Amreeka” very credibly nails it. Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat, Yussuf Abu-Warda and Joseph Ziegler also star.
Extras: Short film “Make a Wish,” deleted scenes, outtakes.

Goliath (NR, 2008, IFC Films)
There are indie films, and there are really indie films. And then there are films like “Goliath,” which gets the “indie” tag more as a warning to unassuming passersby than a badge of honor. “Goliath” hits the ground running with a spectacular first scene involving our unnamed main character (David Zellner, who also writes and directs), a funeral, some pent-up anger and a voicemail to a soon-to-be-ex-wife (Caroline O’Connor) gone agonizingly wrong. From there, the downward spiral continues as we learn about our hero’s unenviable job status and the sudden realization that even his cat, Goliath, seems to have stepped out on him and gone missing. But “Goliath” never quite reaches back for the same relatable insanity of that first scene, instead opting for an energy that isn’t necessarily energetic at all. Some scenes carry on for atmosphere’s more than necessity’s sake, and while “Goliath” has some more very funny scenes in its 80 minutes, there also are numerous instances in which it seems to just stop and stall. Some will find value in these stalls and the way they so subtly illustrate our subject’s crumbling psyche. But others will just wonder what the heck is going on, and a select few will wonder if Zellner simply forgot to cut some scenes down in the editing room. “Goliath” wasn’t made with the latter two crowds in mind, and it deserves kudos for taking roads far less traveled than most movies about general hopelessness do, but that doesn’t mean those latter crowds’ points lack merit. See it if you’re in the mood for something experimental, but take heed if you aren’t.
Extras: Cast/crew commentary, deleted scenes, filmmaker Q&A, behind-the-scenes feature.

Post Grad (PG-13, 2009, Fox)
These are severely dark times for college graduates, jobseekers and anyone trying to get a grip on some kind of fulfilling career path, and dark times deserve some dark comedy that champions those teetering on defeat and reenergizes their fight as only epiphanic art can. Unfortunately, and instead, we get this — a cutely amusing comedy about a new college grad (Alexis Bledel as Ryden) who cutely falls on her face while also treading though the same rotation of scenarios you’ve already seen done better in any number of movies about quirky parents (Jane Lynch, Michael Keaton), a platonic relationship (Zach Gilford) that’s begging to reach the next level, and the academic rival (Catherine Reitman) who ekes past our heroine for class valedictorian status and does it again in their squeaky-clean incarnation of the real world. “Post Grad” never really stoops to offensively bad levels, and in another era, it would stand as a perfectly OK light comedy about amusing themes Hollywood has mashed into paste. But in terms of artistic expectations and general discontent, this most certainly isn’t that time, and “Grad” looks so much worse than it actually is for missing the point by such an absurd margin.
Extras: Deleted scenes, job tips, outtakes, two behind-the-scenes features, two quiz games, music video.

This entry was posted by billyok on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 12:33 am and is filed under DVD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.