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In recent years, this basic premise was turned into a zombie story (“28 Days Later,” “The Walking Dead”). However, in the hands of Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns, the premise becomes “Contagion,” a cautionary tale of how vulnerable human beings are to what they don’t know is out there—or what might not even exist yet. The film takes a look at a contagious, airborne illness that infects the world on a global scale and shows the efforts of CDC workers, virus researchers, World Health Organization officials, a journalist, and ordinary folks in combating the disease. “Contagion” is also jam-packed with stars, such as Laurence Fishburne, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Marion Cotillard, all of whom play a small part in telling a massive story that is closer to reality than any of us comfortably like to admit. Buy It.
“Shark Night” was released in theatres as “Shark Night 3D.” Seeing it in a theatre, I noted in my review that one of the two bright spots was that the shark’s point of view sequences in the water looked impressive, with bubbles and debris coming at the camera. It’s a bit of a shame that for the blu-ray release the studio is not doing a version for 3D players and TVs. The only way to see this movie on disc is a 2D version. Then again, it’s not like it really matters much. The other bright spot of “Shark Night” is that the sharks actually do look pretty realistic. Everything else about this movie is total dreck, and not worth seeing at all, particularly if you can’t even enjoy it in 3D. And even if you could, I’d still advise you to Skip It.
“The Guard” stars Brendan Gleeson as an Irish cop who teams up with an FBI agent played by Don Cheadle to investigate a drug smuggling ring. The film made number 8 on Dan’s Best of 2011 list, and as he said in his review, “Writer/director John Michael McDonagh’s story keeps you guessing through the end, even if the bad guys are pretty standard and the production values fail to impress. Undoubtedly ‘The Guard’ will draw comparisons to ‘In Bruges,’ and certainly those who enjoyed ‘In Bruges’ (which also starred Gleeson) will like this. But ‘The Guard’ is also less intense and more lighthearted, and it’s that charm that makes it a real winner.” Buy It.
So many films rely on special effects to tell their story that the creation of mood and atmosphere can sometimes seem like a lost art. Not so for “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” a late summer release starring Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes that's coming out on video this week to warm you up by getting the blood pumping with good scares. As Dan pointed out in his review, “...the film isn’t over-laden with visual effects the actors are allowed to have a real presence.” This is key because it helps the audience to become more invested. You’re watching a story about someone real—who could be you or someone you know—rather than a glorified light show. I applaud director Troy Nixey and producer Guillermo del Toro for their artistry and restraint. Dan predicted that while this film wouldn’t do well at the box office, it would find a fan base on home video. Let’s make it so. Buy It.
Working moms unite—-and don’t watch “I Don’t Know How She Does It.” HOH contributor Hilary Webber summed up the reasons why pretty well in her review: “’I Don't Know How She Does It’ feels dated, in part due to the film's attitude toward working women. In the film, having a full-time, professional job is seen as something that still isn't a normal thing for a woman. Why is maintaining a professional life, a relationship, and taking care of two children something impressive for a woman to do, but yet something that is expected of a man and not seen as an incredible feat? The approach is so dated that at times it makes the whole film feel irrelevant…‘I Don't Know How She Does It’ puts itself out there as a comedy, but it's not funny enough to be appropriate for that genre, nor is it dramatic enough to be a drama. It rests in the average, predictable zone in between the two. It doesn't have much going for it, and the working mothers who could identify with the main character and might actually have an interest in the film's content are probably too busy successfully managing their own lives to see it anyway.” Skip It.
Also out this week: “Puncture,” starring Chris Evans as a lawyer investigating the health care industry; “Serendipity,” with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale leaving it up to fate for them to fall in love; and “She’s All That,” the film that inspired all of the spoofs from the past decade where the geeky looking girl (Rachael Leigh Cook) takes off her glasses and lets her hair down and all of a sudden she’s a hot Prom Queen.
Andrew Hudak is a lifelong film lover. His column on blu-ray new releases appears every Tuesday; he also regularly reviews new theatrical releases for Hudak On Hollywood. He lives in Connecticut.
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