Notable new DVD releases
Okay I get it: You don't want to hit the movie theater every single week, because well, it's expensive. And time consuming, what with loading up the whole family and the snacks (cha-ching!) and all the other trappings that come with, you know, actually leaving the house.
Luckily for you, movie fan, there are some decent looking options. Several new DVD releases seem promising, including two out this week: the Ryan Gosling drama The Place Beyond the Pines and the Danny Boyle-directed mystery/suspense movie Trance. I'm really interested in seeing both of these films, particularly Gosling in Place Beyond the Pines, which has an outstanding cast (Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, Rose Byrne, Ray Liotta and Ben Mendelsohn).
The Place Beyond the Pines was never released at a theater near me, so I had no choice but to wait for the DVD. The movie marks the re-teaming of Ryan Gosling with his Blue Valentine director, Derek Cianfrance. He's clearly a talented director, and I can say that just based on that one film. I'll see this one as soon as possible. Reviews, by the way, are very solid for the movie.
The other new DVD release this week that intrigues me is Danny Boyle's Trance, a film that, just based on the opinions of some of my friends who have seen it, will either leave me completely baffled and irritated or...completely baffled and exhilarated.
Uh oh. The last time this kind of split happened, I wound up with Tree of Life, and with all due respect to those who liked the film, I just didn't. I tried. I wanted to. Didn't happen. I'll give Trance a shot, because Danny Boyle is a great director and the cast, which includes James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson, looks solid. Reviews look pretty mixed for Trance, which seems right in line with what my friends have told me. Bottom line: Proceed with caution, knowing it's a confusing film at times.
Photo courtesy of TotalFilm.com