Watchlist
Notable DVD releases for August 6, 2013
By Max Braden
August 22, 2013
To the Wonder
Who: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem, director Terrence Malick.
What: A romantic drama. Ben Affleck stars as Neil, an American who meets a Ukranian single mother, Marina, (Kurlyenko) in Paris. They fall in love and he brings her and her daughter to Oklahoma, but then they start to drift apart. Marina becomes close to a priest played by Javier Bardem, and Neil becomes close with a previous girlfriend played by Rachel McAdams. Ben eventually has to decide who he will commit to.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Affleck has received some well deserved notoriety as a director in recent years, but he's still a big name actor, so it's somewhat surprising that a starring role for him wouldn't be the weekend box office leader. But To the Wonder was never released to more than 60 theaters in April. This is less surprising when you take into account that it's a Terrence Malick project. His movies are grand, but by no means tentpole or popcorn features. His previous movie, The Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt, had people talking despite the very minimalistic dialogue. It went on receive three Oscar nominations. That is an indicator of the type of romance and drama you can expect from To the Wonder: quiet, thoughtful, spiritual.
Zambezia
Who: Jeremy Suarez, Leonard Nimoy, Abigail Breslin, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson
What: An animated animal adventure set along the Zambezi river in Africa. Suarez voices the lead character of Kai, a young falcon who wants a more adventurous life. Frustrated with his overprotective father (voice by Jackson), Kai heads to a bustling bird city, meets another young bird (voiced by Abigail Breslin), and joins a flying guard called The Hurricanes. Together they have to protect the bird city from some mean storks led by a monitor lizard, and grow up in the process.
When: August 6th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Despite some of the big name voice talent, this looks like a knock off of some of the flying owl acrobatic elements of 2010's Legend of the Guardians. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - Guardians was almost too stylish, while Zambezia's animation style is less sophisticated. Zambezia also looks like it copies some of the side character hijinks of Rio, so this G rated movie is probably a decent family film.
There are two movies this week that I'm looking forward to because, like most audiences, I didn't catch them in the theater earlier this year. Mud is one of those potential award contenders you occasionally see released outside the typical award season. McConaughey in particular seems to be delivering his best dramatic performance in years (not counting his over-the-top character in Killer Joe). My first impression is that Mud is a modern Stand By Me. Ben Affleck's To the Wonder has a strong pedigree with Terrence Malick as director. It may be less likely to earn any award consideration, but Malick's films are at least always interesting and not typical genre pieces. I'm guessing that fans of On the Road will consider the movie adaptation a must-see, though I don't the chances of it living up to expectations for fans who have loved the novel for so long. I'm more inclined to go less highbrow and more commercial with the sci-fi flick The Host and the period musical comedy The Sapphires. Admission has the appearance of a sincere comedy, but based on reviews I'd probably opt for The Story of Luke instead. Horror fans should check out Antiviral and Magic Magic for brainy fare or Gallowwalkers to celebrate Wesley Snipes' release from prison. Finally, Zambezia offers something for families, with an animated animal adventure.
Coming next week:
42, The Big Wedding, Bullet to the Head, The Company You Keep, Emperor, The Hot Flashes, Olympus Has Fallen, What Maisie Knew
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