New to Blu-Ray this Week: The Rum Diary, Mozart’s Sister, and More

Written by Andrew Hudak |

The Rum Diary

The notable “gonzo” journalist Dr. Hunter S. Thompson had very distinct mannerisms. Johnny Depp, a friend of Thompson’s, captured them perfectly in the otherwise unpleasant and overdone “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” He’s back at it again in a much better film called “The Rum Diary,” about an American journalist’s exploits in Puerto Rico. As I noted in my review when it was first released, as good as Depp is, “the real star of the film may be Puerto Rico itself. The director, Bruce Robinson, and the cinematographer, Dariusz Wolski, do as remarkable job of not only capturing the lush, green tropical wilderness and pristine beaches, but also the heat, dirt, and grime of the city. The apartment … practically oozes off of the screen with filth and stickiness. It was almost as if I could smell it and feel that thin coating of god only knows what that seems to cover everything in an environment like that.” In spite of losing steam for the last half an hour or so, there are the wild, crazy, and funny moments that people who know Thompson’s work have come to expect, and it’s worth seeing for those. Rent It.

Most everyone has heard of famous Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But how many know he had a sister? Her name was Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart, and she was five years older than Wolfgang. In “Mozart’s Sister,” she is played by Marie Feret. She was the original featured performer in the shows that their father Leopold (Marc Barbe) put on, but eventually had to give way to her brother (David Moreau) as the main attraction. The film follows Marie on her struggle against the limitations imposed on her because of her gender, and while the film is fiction, the theme is compelling. Rent It.

A little film featuring small chairs is making its debut this week on Criterion Edition Blu-Ray. The film is called “Tiny Furniture,” and it’s written, directed, and starred in by a promising young film maker named Lena Dunham. While Dunham and her cast of amateurs have a long way to go as actors, the film is written with wit and effervescence, and intelligently directed to get the best performances possible. It’s not the work of an accomplished expert in her craft, but it is a very strong start by a talented newbie to the field. Rent It.

Also out this Week: “All Quiet on the Western Front,” the second film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, is a riveting and heartbreaking story of young German soldiers fighting in the trenches in World War I; “Take Shelter,” with Michael Shannon as a man with terrifying dreams who builds a shelter in his backyard, co-starring the prolific Jessica Chastain; “Three Outlaw Samurai,” about three ronin hired to kill a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate; and “Nude Nuns with Big Guns,” a violent revenge flick with a catchy title.

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.