Story
by Steve Salles
, Standard-Examiner movie critic
- Jun 25 2012 - 5:50pm
Capsule reviews, by Standard-Examiner movie critic Steve Salles, of this week’s releases on DVD:
THE ARTIST **** (PG-13) A disturbing image and a crude gesture. A silent-film star gets pushed aside when talking pictures become all the rage in the late 1920s. His struggle to find a new direction becomes an engaging story, albeit one that is mostly silent and without color. This film won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius) and Best Actor (Jean Dujardin). 100 minutes.
BULLHEAD *** 1/2 (R) Some strong violence, language and sexual content. A tragic figure, marred by a childhood experience, survives in a Flemish underworld that sells beef injected with growth hormones. He, too, is on steroids, but not for the reasons you’d think. The reveal is as shocking as they come in this powerful Oscar-nominated film. 124 minutes.
21 JUMP STREET *** (R) Crude and sexual content, pervasive language, drug material, teen drinking and some violence. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum go back to high school as undercover cops in the style of the ’80s TV cop show by the same name. The humor is fairly crude, but it is funnier than I expected — and for the right crowd, it could be enjoyable. 109 minutes.
THE PERFECT FAMILY ** (PG-13) Mature thematic material. Kathleen Turner stars as a bitter, dispassionate woman who tries to be the best Catholic woman possible, despite her family’s difficulties. Honestly, it’s an affront to decent Catholic women everywhere. 84 minutes.
WRATH OF THE TITANS ** (PG-13) Intense sequences of fantasy violence and action. Perseus is called on once again to save mankind from ... no, not that cameo Kraken beastie, but the granddaddy of them all — Kronos, who looks really ticked off. Unfortunately, this is just more bickering between Greek gods, more boom and bang, and not much else. Starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. 99 minutes.
Also being released:
BREAKAWAY (PG-13) Adult situations. A Sikh-Canadian hockey fanatic from Toronto finds his slapshot dreams in a face-off with his family’s traditional beliefs. 95 minutes.
THE DECOY BRIDE (PG) Scatological humor. A jilted bride enters into an unusual arrangement with a Hollywood actress and gets a second chance at true love in this romance. 89 minutes.
A THOUSAND WORDS (PG-13) Sexual situations including dialogue, language and some drug-related humor. Eddie Murphy stars as a man who finds a Bodhi tree sprouting in his backyard — one that loses a leaf for every word he speaks. When the branches are bare, he’ll drop dead. 82 minutes.
Steve Salles can be reached at films@standard.net.