Dorian Gray

Caspian done goofed.

You would think that turning an Oliver Wilde novel into a sensationalized, nearly exploitative camp piece of pulp fiction might prove impossible. But, Oliver Parker would prove you wrong. Shamefully so, seeing as how his adaptations of other Wilde works, like An Ideal Husband or The Importance of Being Earnest, have been lauded and for good reason. Even more amazing, Dorian Gray failed to find a distributor in the United States, and was doomed to a "direct to DVD" release, after a theatrical release in the United Kingdom. As it stands, though, Dorian Gray is all about the atmosphere in this version, not so much about the preservation of Wilde's wit nor the story itself. It's unfortunate, but that's what we're left with at the end of the film. Lots of pomp, very little circumstance. 

More after the cut--

The King's Speech, Gulliver's Travels, and Others on DVD This Week

Fuckin' ass and blap blap

Yes, that's the "f" word above. It's okay, though - the Weinstein brothers will edit this post down after its release. 

If you're confused by the joke above, The Weinstein Company, who produced The King's Speech, had the film edited down from an R rating, taking out the scene where Bertie swears comfortably, and several times, in front of his speech therapist. The film is now available as a PG-13 release and an R release, but only one of them is actually worth money. It's the R one. That scene is a key scene, and there was no reason for it to be cut out. Especially after so few people gave a damn about it in the first place. It isn't the movie that's offensive, not by a long shot, but the MPAA's rating system. 

But, a bitter rant on the MPAA isn't what this post is about. It's about the DVD releases for the week. So I'll stay on topic. The King's Speech, Gulliver's Travels, Rabbit Hole, and Somewhere. I've seen all four. So I can give a fair assessment. Let's get down to it. 

More after the cut--

The King's Speech

G-g-got any k-k-k-kings?

It's the type of film we've all seen before - the "high brow British drama", the man who overcomes adversity, the "buddy" movie, etc. The thing that separates The King's Speech from, say... The Queen, or The Deal, or any Stephen Frears pic, is that this film has no pretense. That isn't to say that a certain amount of pretense is a bad thing (I quite enjoy The Queen and The Deal, and most Stephen Frears pictures), but it's to say that this film most certainly knows where its boundaries are, and there isn't a need to ever cross the lines to make a "movie" out of it. It's a storyteller's film - it's a true story. 

More after the cut --

Critics' Choice Awards are in!

And while it hasn't exactly been a frustrating year in terms of predicting the imminent Oscars, at least the 2010 canon has been up to snuff. Lots of great films, even though we had our fair share of crap. Here is a list of the major winners, with the tech winners linked below.

Those trophied after the cut --