Watchlist
Notable DVD releases for the month of December 2013
By Max Braden
December 19, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Here's my watchlist of DVD and cloud releases for the month of December 2013:
Currently Available (click the movie title to see the trailer)
2 Guns
Who: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, James Marsden, Bill Paxton, Patrick Fischler, Edward James Olmos
What: An action thriller based on the graphic novel series by Steven Grant. Washington and Wahlberg both play undercover federal officers, unknown to each other, who are both working on a cocaine and money laundering case. Corrupted and betrayed by their bosses, they team up to take down their enemies.
When: December 17th - DVD
Why: At first it would seem surprising that this movie wouldn't do so well at the box office after Washington was coming off the success of Flight. Noting, though, that director Baltasar Kormakur and Wahlberg previously worked together for Contraband last year, my expectations are lowered. Still, Washington and Wahlberg in a straight up action thriller seems like a decent way to pass the time.
Adore
Who: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frecheville
What: A sensual drama based on the novella by Doris Lessing ("The Grandmothers"). Two life-long friends, each with a handsome son. While together at an ocean-front house, Watts' son has an affair with Wright, which leads her son to have an affair with Watts. Hurt feelings are inevitable.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: This is the kind of titillating movie that cleverly draws you in only to make you feel uncomfortable. There are all sorts of bro- and BFF codes being broken here. But taboo voyeurism has a strong pull, and you can do worse than spend time watching a pair of excellent actresses like Watts and Wright chew up the drama. Xavier Samuel was creepy good in Plush and probably familiar to viewers of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, in which he played Riley Biers. Frecheville played one of the crime family members in Animal Kingdom.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Who: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Keith Carradine
What: A romance and crime drama. Affleck and Mara play a couple who were on a crime spree until Affleck's character goes to prison to protect her. He breaks out of prison to return to her, only to find that she's now involved with a lawman (Foster).
When: December 17th - DVD
Why: Casey's older brother may be the better known Affleck, but Casey is pretty darn good himself. I'm a big fan of Mara too especially for her performance in the Hollywood version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Foster is always an intense actor. The three of them in a love triangle sounds like great potential. Ain't Them Bodies Saints was shown at both the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival, receiving a good response at both.
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
Who: Amber Heard, Michael Welch, Whitney Able, Anson Mount
What: A potential summer sex romp turns into murder thriller. Heard plays an aloof high school girl who all the boys have been lusting after and they finally get her to come out for a party at a remote house on a ranch. And you know what happens when high school kids try to party at a remote cabin.
When: December 3rd - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I'm not normally a fan of this kind of basic slaughter-horror genre movie, but mention Amber Heard and I'm in. The oddly interesting thing about this movie is that it was completed and shown at film festivals in 2006, but due to distribution rights issues, it didn't get a theatrical release until 2013. That fact might get some audiences wondering if there was some conspiracy to keep it from being seen, but I wouldn't get too excited. Reviews have been mixed.
Battle of the Year
Who: Josh Holloway, Chris Brown, Laz Alonso, Josh Peck, Caity Lotz
What: A dance-off movie featuring an American team facing off against an international assortment of teams. Holloway plays a former basketball coach tasked with bringing the group together.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: If you like dance-off movies, like the Step Up series, primarily for the choreography, you might be interested in this movie. Director Benson Lee previously directed a documentary called Planet B-Boy about the actual 2005 Battle of the Year competition and B-boy culture. This Battle of the Year is the dramatic version. It got hammered by critics, but dialogue isn't that important if you're watching for the moves. I'm always curious about what Josh Holloway has been up to since Lost. Musician Chris Brown has also appeared in Stomp the Yard. Lotz currently appears in the TV series Arrow.
Drinking Buddies
Who: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston
What: A romantic comedy about two couples who may be with the wrong people. Wilde and Johnson are coworkers at a brewery who are dating Livingston and Kendrick respectively. A couples trip to the beach, along with lots of drinking, causes a change in the relationships.
When: December 3rd - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Two of my favorite actors in a romantic comedy. I love Olivia Wilde from the movies, and Jake Johnson is hilarious in the TV series New Girl.
Elysium
Who: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, William Fichtner, Alice Braga, Sharlto Copley, Diego Luna, Michael Shanks, Talisa Soto
What: A sci-fi thriller from District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, set on Earth in the year 2154. Damon plays one of the struggling masses down on Earth who are cut off from the fabulous wealth and care of the elite who live in a space station called Elysium. After an accidental exposure to radiation gives him only a week to live, Damon's character decides to buck classism and get to Elysium's life-saving medical devices at any cost (with the help of a super-powered exoskeleton). Foster plays the evil Secretary of Defense in his way.
When: December 17th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I missed this one in theaters which I regret a little given the sci-fi eye candy. I liked both non-Hollywood sci-fi style and the social commentary of District 9, so I felt this movie had potential. I've heard good things about Sharlto Copely, who plays a very different type of character than he did in District 9. At the same time, I have trouble getting over how ridiculous Damon looks in his He-Man suit.
Jayne Mansfield's Car
Who: Robert Duvall, Katherine LaNasa, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Ray Stevenson, Robert Patrick, Shawnee Smith, Ron White, Frances O'Connor, Billy Bob Thornton
What: A drama set in the 1960s South. The death of woman who was married to both an American man and a British man brings the two families together in an odd clash of civilizations.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: There's a lot of good acting talent here. I'm particularly drawn by Duvall, who's played a number of funny old coots in the last decade. Ron White completely surprised me in the trailer in that he appears to have some acting skills rather than just his regular smoke and drink stand-up schtick.
Man of Steel
Who: Henry Cavill, Lois Lane, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russel Crowe, Harry J. Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne
What: A reboot of the superhero story that made Christopher Reeve famous, this time starring Henry Cavill as the baby sent to Earth to escape his own dying planet. Shannon plays Krypton's General Zod, who pursues an unrelenting course to reestablish a planet of superior Kryptonians.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I saw this in the theater and was not overly impressed. I don't have a stake in this superhero or any comic universe, but just based on the movies, Iron Man is fun, the X-Men are interesting, and Batman is intense. This and the previous Superman reboot are just kind of boring. Is a purely good superhero just bound to be less exciting than an anti-hero in modern times, maybe?
Man of Tai Chi
Who: Keanu Reeves, Chen Hu
What: A martial arts action drama. Hu plays the only student of an elderly Tai Chi master. Reeves plays a bloodthirsty promoter of an underground prize fight club who pursues Hu as a contender. Hu only agrees in order to get money to save his master's temple from demolition.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Based on the trailer I'd say this looks like a fairly generic death match martial arts movie, but that loyalty to the genre's key points of honor and loyalty earned the movie praise from director John Woo. I think it's pretty cool to have Reeves play a villain. Tiger Chen Hu worked on The Matrix movies and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon doing stunts, so the action in this movie should be good.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Who: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lena Headey, Aidan Turner, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jared Harris, Kevin Zegers, Kevin Durand
What: A paranormal teen thriller based on the novel by Cassandra Clare. Collins plays a girl named Clary who is thrust into a subworld of demons and Shadowhunters, half-angel warriors who hunt demons, when her mother is kidnapped. Together with Jace (Bower) they seek to save her mother and prevent the Mortal Cup from falling under control of evil forces. Harris plays Hodge Starkweather, and Rhys Meyers plays Valentine Morgenstern.
When: December 3rd - DVD and online on-demand
Why: To be honest, the accented, dangerous, pretty-boy played by Bower, and Collins as lead both appear to indicate that this movie is heavily geared toward teenage girls, of which I am not one. I also feel like the supernatural monster genre feels derivative after the Twilight series (which I also viewed with scorn). But who knows, the effects look like they could be decent, and I'm a fan of Lena Headey, who plays a delicious bad girl in the Game of Thrones series.
Night Train to Lisbon
Who: Jeremy Irons, Mélanie Laurent, Jack Huston, Martina Gedeck, Tom Courtenay, August Diehl, Bruno Ganz, Lena Olin, Christopher Lee, Charlotte Rampling
What: Irons plays a professor seeking the truth about a philosopher during the Salazar dictatorship period in Portugal in this political thriller based on the 2004 novel by Pascal Mercier.
When: December 17th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I know next to nothing about the Salazar period in Portugal, so this movie might be an interesting introduction to the subject. The source novel is an international best-seller, and this is the kind of movie that will appeal to the literary and film festival crowd.
One Direction: This is Us
Who: Musical group One Direction, director Morgan Spurlock
What: A documentary following the superstar band as they toured in early 2013.
When: December 17th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I don't follow these guys so I decided to watch this movie so I could converse with my niece if needed. I was surprised to find that I was impressed by these guys. Unlike Spurlock's social issue documentaries (Super Size Me, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold), he doesn't add any factoid voiceovers - it's almost entirely footage of concerts and behind the scenes with the group members and family/staff interviews.
Only God Forgives
Who: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm
What: A revenge thriller set in Thailand. Gosling plays a criminal, running drugs and prostitutes from a boxing club in Thailand. When his brother is killed, and his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) puts out a hit on the cop who killed her son, Gosling's character is drawn into a violent duel with the cop.
When: December 3rd - DVD, Netflix streaming, and online on-demand
Why: I remember coming out of the theater for Drive and hearing a lot of the crowd utterly confused about what they had just seen. I think that was largely due to a marketing campaign that suggested something different than what it was, but I thought the movie's style was very cool. So the return combination of director Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling is a big seller for me. Reviews have been good, but viewers should be aware going in that this is a heavy R-rated film due to the violence.
Paranoia
Who: Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Amber Heard, Harrison Ford, Lucas Till, Embeth Davidtz, Julian McMahon, Josh Holloway, Richard Dreyfuss
What: Hemsworth plays a working-class kid with a knack for tech who's looking to get his foot in the door. What at first seems like the opportunity of a lifetime becomes an ethical quagmire when his new billionaire boss (Oldman) sends him to work for a rival (Ford) to steal corporate secrets...or else.
When: December 17th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Oldman and Ford as rivals would sell the movie alone for me. They remind me of Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman facing off in Lucky Number Slevin. Unfortunately, Hemsworth as lead makes me pause - he just doesn't seem to have the heft to hold a scene with these guys. The critics seem to agree, since they all dumped on the movie. But, the cast, including Amber Heard, is enough to get me to give it a look.
The Smurfs 2
Who: Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Hank Azaria, Katy Perry, Jonathan Winters, Christina Ricci, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, John Oliver
What: The family-friendly sequel to the movie based on the 1980s animated series, this one features animated characters set amongst live action. Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette in order to obtain a spell from her that will harness the power of smurfs.
When: December 3rd - DVD and online on-demand
Why: This is embarrassing to admit, but I actually remember the day, in third grade, when one of the girls told the class all about The Smurfs during show and tell. And I watched the original TV series. I did not watch the first movie and there's very low chance I'll catch this sequel. But unlike some return movies from that era (The A-Team etc), this isn't really a movie out to get now-adults thinking about their childhood favorites, this is for their kids. And if your kids liked the first Smurfs, they'll probably like this one too.
Some Girl(s)
Who: Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, Jennifer Morrison, Emily Watson, Zoe Kazan
What: A romantic comedy based on Neil LaBute's play. Brody plays a writer, about to get married, who decides to go visit his ex-girlfriends in some sort of quest for closure.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Although it's hard to gauge the motivations of Brody's character from the trailer, the premise of the movie has potential for some interesting character study. I think the selection of actresses to play his exes is unusual. On paper, Kristen Bell would be the main draw for me, but just from brief moments in the trailer it looks like Jennifer Morrison may be the one who holds the movie.
Touchy Feely
Who: Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page, Scoot McNairy, Allison Janney, Josh Pais, Ron Livingston
What: A quirky comedy about a massage therapist (DeWitt) who suddenly finds that she can't bring herself to touch other people, including the guy (McNairy) who wants to be with her. Page plays her niece who is attracted to the same guy. At the same time, her awkward brother (Pais), whose dental practice had been struggling, finds sudden success.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Quirky is good, I like quirky. I also like DeWitt a lot, especially in Your Sister's Sister.
Turbo
Who: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Samuel L. Jackson, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Richard Jenkins
What: An animated family adventure about a snail who dreams of going faster. Due to a mishap with a car, he suddenly gains the ability to move as fast as a human-sized race car, and pursues a goal of racing in the Indy 500.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I keep trying to sell my brother on this but he won't have it. It's a snail! And racing! I liked the movie Cars a lot, so maybe I'm projecting on to this one, but the voice work in the trailer for Turbo amuses me. The movie didn't do very well in theaters, possibly due to everyone seeing the animated comedy Despicable Me 2 instead. I don't know what they were thinking - this is about a *racing snail*. I'm excited to rent it.
We're the Millers
Who: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly C. Quinn
What: An R-rated road trip comedy. Sudeikis plays a pot dealer who owes his supplier and must smuggle a load of marijuana from Mexico to the U.S. To make it look like he's a family man, he recruits a stripper and two teens to create a fake family. They run into more trouble than just the border.
When: December 17th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I thought the trailer for this comedy looked pretty good, but who am I kidding, I'm thinking almost entirely of Jennifer Aniston as a stripper. She had a similar sexy-comedic role in Horrible Bosses (which also featured Sudeikis). Sudeikis can be funny or a bit too much depending on your perspective. Reviews have been mediocre, but even if it's not great, this appears to be suitable weekend comedy. Roberts currently stars in the TV series American Horror Story: Coven, and Poulter appeared as Eustace Scrubb in The Chronicals of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Winnie Mandela
Who: Jennifer Hudson, Terrence Howard, Elias Koteas
What: A drama that tells Mandela's story from the viewpoint of his wife, from their courtship through his time in prison.
When: December 3rd - DVD, Netflix streaming, and online on-demand
Why: Apt timing for this movie, given Mandela's passing this month. Oscar-winner Hudson and Terrence Howard provide some strong acting pedigree, but reviews haven't been good. I expect that the movie would come across as a movie-of-the-week more than a serious biopic.
The World's End
Who: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike
What: A sci-fi comedy that combines nostalgia and alien invasion. Pegg plays a screwup perennially living in the past glory days of high school. He manages to convince his former friends, now all leading stable lives, to join him (reluctantly) in their home town for an epic pub crawl. During the crawl, they discover that body snatching aliens have invaded.
When: December 17th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I saw this in theaters at the end of the summer and absolutely loved it - it's currently my favorite movie of the year. The first half hour is like one long monologue from Pegg, which is hilarious, especially his nostalgia for the late '80s and early '90s. The rest of the movie is just crazy fun.
Upcoming releases through the end of December:
Getaway
Who: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight, Rebecca Budig
What: An action thriller featuring lots of car chase action. Hawke plays a former race car driver whose wife (Budig) has been kidnapped by a villain (Voight) who demands he make a delivery on the clock. Gomez plays a carjacker who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When: December 24th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I like muscle cars and movie chases, so this looks like a decent weekend night movie for someone like me - it doesn't have to be good as long as it delivers on the action. Unfortunately reviews have pegged it as just that - dumb action. The addition of teen pop star Selena Gomez here as a street criminal just cracks me up; it just looks like obvious shoe-horning of someone trying to add a little edge to her family-friendly brand.
Insidious: Chapter 2
Who: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Jocelin Donahue
What: All the main actors return for the sequel to the paranormal horror, about a young boy who has a connection to the spirit world. The family delves once again into the evil that has been haunting them.
When: December 24th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I wouldn't say that the first movie was anything out of the ordinary for a paranormal haunting movie, but man it did have some scary scenes. Although reviews of the sequel haven't been as good, it appears to be more of the same, which means I will willingly submit to some potential for nightmares.
Jobs
Who: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, Matthew Modine, J.K. Simmons, Lesley Ann Warren, Ron Eldard, Kevin Dunn
What: Kutcher plays the iconic founder of Apple from the time he first started with computers through his ouster from the company and return in the late 1990s.
When: December 24th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: A movie about such an iconic and creative individual who influenced national and international culture to such an extent that Jobs was involved in is a movie everyone should take note of. Unfortunately I think the most interesting years of Jobs' life - the introduction of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad - are not covered by this movie. The early years of Jobs was also previously covered in the 1999 cable movie Pirates of Silicon Valley, where Jobs was played by Noah Wyle. Reviews of this movie weren't great, but I'm willing to give Kutcher the benefit of the doubt.
Hell Baby
Who: Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Keegan Michael Key, Riki Lindhome, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon
What: A paranormal comedy starring Rob Corddry and Leslie Bibb as a couple who move into their (old and spooky) new home in New Orleans. Bibb is pregnant and soon possessed by a spirit in the house. Garant and Lennon (co-directors of the movie) play a pair of priests sent from the Vatican, and Key plays a neighbor.
When: December 31st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: This is nearly a spoof but not quite the gag-style antics of the Scary Movie series. It's also not likely on the quality of Ghostbusters, so I look at it as easygoing weekend fun. I think Leslie Bibb is naturally funny, so I'm looking forward to it.
The Lifeguard
Who: Kristen Bell, David Lambert, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Amy Madigan
What: A coming of age comedy later in life. Bell plays a 30-year-old whose life hasn't turned out how she imagined, so she reacts by going back home, moving in with her parents, and taking her former high school job as a lifeguard as she figures out who she is.
When: December 24th - DVD, Netflix streaming, and online on-demand
Why: This is one of those movies that looks perfectly fine but just didn't get significant theatrical distribution, and you might otherwise never know it existed. It looks like a good combination of comedy and drama from Bell. Gummer will look familiar because she's the spitting image of her mom, Meryl Streep.
Love, Marilyn
Who: Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Hope Davis, Viola Davis, Jennifer Ehle, Ben Foster, Paul Giamatti, Lindsay Lohan, Janet McTeer, Gretchen Mol, Jeremy Piven, Oliver Platt, Zoe Saldana, David Strathairn, Amber Tamblyn, Lili Taylor, Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood
What: A documentary about Marilyn Monroe featuring celebrities reading memoirs in a dramatic style.
When: December 31st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Apparently this documentary is based on newly-found manuscripts, so this should be of interest to fans of Monroe or those who don't know much about her.
Sweetwater
Who: Ed Harris, January Jones, Jason Isaacs, Stephen Root
What: A western set in 1880s New Mexico. Isaacs plays a fanatical preacher, Jones plays a former prostitute seizing control of her life, and Harris plays an eccentric gunman, all who clash with a bloody outcome.
When: December 31st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Harris previously played a more refined lawman in the western Appaloosa. In this movie he plays a far more unhinged gunslinger. I like Jason Isaaces, but I'm not big on movies about frontier preachers and would have skipped this movie, but the nutty behavior shown by Harris in the trailer makes me really curious to see his full performance.
When Calls the Heart
Who: Maggie Grace, Peter Coyote, Stephen Amell, Poppy Drayton, Lori Loughlin
What: A period drama based on the 1983 novel by Janette Oke. Maggie Grace stars as a schoolteacher in the Alberta frontier. At the same time, her descendant (Drayton) is inspired to follow her own journey. Both are independent women who find love.
When: December 31st - DVD
Why: I'm not familiar with the literary work of Oke, but I'm sure there are fans who would be interested in this movie. It looks family-friendly and probably a good choice for faith-based audiences.
The Wolverine
Who: Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Will Yun Lee
What: Taking place after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan travels to Japan where he is offered mortality from the man whose life he saved during WWII. The man's granddaughter, Mariko (Okamoto), presents a romantic distraction from Logan's mourning of Jean Grey. Logan also faces off against Viper (Khodchenkova) and the Silver Samurai.
When: December 31st - DVD and online on-demand
Why: I'm a big fan of Jackman as Wolverine, but when I saw this in the theater I found it mind-numbingly boring. What works as dramatic anguish in the previous X-Men movies just seems like moping in this movie. And something about it felt distanced enough from the X-Men that I kept forgetting that I was watching an X-Men movie. The history is pretty cool though, and this is required viewing for fans of the series.