Viggo Mortensen in The Road

The Road
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall
Director: John Hillcoat

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy is becoming something of a popular fellow with the film industry. In 2007 the Coen brothers’ adaptation of his novel No Country For Old Men was a critical success, capturing four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. There are also plans for an adaptation of his novel Blood Meridian in the next few years.

And this week, director John Hillcoat’s vision of McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic thriller The Road debuts on DVD. The harrowing story follows a man, played by Viggo Mortensen, travelling across America with his son as they try to find some safe haven among the violence and ruthlessness that has broken out after a disaster claimed most of civilization.

Stark, bleak and utterly grim, but also brimming with emotion, The Road is a story of survival and the human condition, which was called “emotionally shattering” by The Guardian when it was first published.

On screen, the story is profoundly moving, beautifully capturing the relationship between father and son as they survive inhumane conditions, and carry the burden of the mother they lost before they set out on their journey.

Filmed magnificently, in a way that not only captures the story, but firmly sets the drama within a devastated reality, The Road is ultimately not quite as powerful as No Country for Old Men, but it is far more devastating. The film is profoundly troubling, and left me bare to the bone. There is hardly a speck of light to be found, except in the father’s relationship with his wife and child.

That may turn some viewers off, but The Road is a powerful experience, which will probably change how you perceive the average “post-apocalyptic” story. By contrast, I would almost call a movie like Children of Men a gentle walk through the park by The Road’s standards, but that’s perhaps an unfair comparison. It still should give you some idea what you’re in for once you start on this heavy, dreary and yet emotional path.

Dear John
Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins, Henry Thomas, D.J. Cotrona
Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Director Lasse Hallstrom, who brought us films like The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, delivers the adaptation of Nicolas Sparks’ novel about a young couple, brought together by chance, but separated by war.

Channing Tatum stars as John, a soldier on temporary leave when he meets Savannah, played by Amanda Seyfried, a lovely college girl who immediately captures his heart. Spending two weeks together, the two fall in love, but are quickly torn apart when John’s leave takes him back to the turmoil of war. Over the course of his tour of duty, the two share their lives through letters, but invariably when he can be with Savannah again, a looming second tour is on the horizon.

Written by screenwriter Jamie Lindon, who previously penned We Are Marshall, Dear John is a romantic drama that is happy to flaunt its two leads as it cranks up the sappy tension.

Notably similar to Sparks’ other adapted story, The Notebook, Dear John is a sweet story that dwells in a pure, idealized version of teenage romance. It’s seriously sappy to the core, but it’s not without some charm, mainly because Tatum and Seyfried make a pretty couple, and do a certain level of justice to the story.

The big flaw is that the story falters considerably as it moves into the letters stage, where John and Savannah are only connected through words on a page. While this concept must have worked well on the page, and it seems like a romantic notion, it just doesn’t hold up the mood very well.

If you can accept the average Hollywood romance, Dear John is still a sufficiently sweet story of love and heartache.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog [Blu-ray]
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day
Director: Joss Whedon

For the geeks of the world, Joss Whedon deserves some big respect. Between Buffy The Vampire Slayer and his short-lived series, Firefly, Whedon created some seriously loved television.

During the Hollywood writer’s strike though, he earned yet another notch on his belt with the Internet-only miniseries, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which arrives on Blu-ray for the first time today.

Over three, 14-minute episodes, the miniseries introduces us to a sweetly-musical, tragic comedy. Starring the fantastic Neil Patrick Harris as the pitiful Dr. Horrible, plus Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer, and Felicia Day as the lovely Penny, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was a huge hit when it debuted online, thanks to a light and lively love story. It’s also filled with some of the best tongue-in-cheek musical numbers you’ll imagine a super villain could sing.

Topping it all off, the Blu-ray package is full of great extras, more than we usually see in many big budget films, let alone independently produced movies. Admittedly, the production standards are somewhat low at times, but that’s both the charm of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and the reason it was possible to make at the time when Hollywood was effectively shut down.

Features from the package include two commentaries, one standard edition with the cast and Joss Whedon, plus an all-singing commentary that mocks the commentary process and the film’s production. There are also making-of features, bloopers, and the very funny, “Evil League of Evil Application Videos”.

Overall, a must-own for fans, and a bright, comical mini-series that deserves a look on Blu-ray.

True Blood: The Complete Second Season
Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Rutina Wesley

Lastly, I can’t overlook the release of the second season of the fantastic vampire drama, True Blood.

Set in an alternate reality where humans and vampires are trying to exist together, the plot looks at the messes that emerge as the two sides try to find some kind of middle ground, which was basically made possible thanks to the creation of a synthetic blood that sold across America.

Jumping into the second season, the story revolves around one missing vampire, who is over 2000-years-old, and the rise of one religion that essentially wants to eradicate the vampires.

The Blu-ray package includes picture-in-picture extras about the series, commentaries, character perspectives about other characters, faux news reports, plus an in-character video from the pastor of the Fellowship of the Sun, Rev. Steve Nelwin.

Viggo Mortensen in 'The Road'

The Road
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce
Director: John Hillcoat

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy is becoming something of a popular fellow among the film crowd. In 2007 the Coen brother’s adaptation of his novel No Country For Old Men was a critical success, capturing four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. There are also plans for an adaptation of his novel Blood Meridian in the next couple of years.

And of course this week director John Hillcoat debuts his vision of McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic thriller about a man, played by Viggo Mortensen, travelling across America with his son, trying to find some safe haven among the violence and ruthlessness that has broken out after a disaster claimed most of civilization.

Stark and often grim, but brimming with emotion, The Road is a story of survival and the human condition, which was called “emotionally shattering” by The Guardian when it was first published.

On screen, the adaptation is getting positive reviews from film critics, especially for Mortensen’s performance, but it not receiving the same glowing praise heaped on the book.

“While the film is not as resonant as the novel,” Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, “it is an honorable adaptation, capturing the essence of the bond between father and son.”

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray
Director: Wes Anderson

From director Wes Anderson, who made the quirky hits The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore, comes what might be the filmmakers best work to date in the form of Roald Dahl’s classic tale, Fantastic Mr. Fox .

Featuring the talented voice work of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and frequent Anderson collaborator Bill Murray, the film is a faithful and imaginative tale of one Mr. Fox and his last great adventure before he tries to become a responsible father.

Aiming to make one last raid on the farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean, the meanest farmers in the area, Mr. Fox is a sly thief who has gotten away with pillaging the locals for some time. Now though, the farmers intend to take Mr. Fox out, before he comes after their goods again.

Coming in at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, Fantastic Mr. Fox is easily the best reviewed film of the week, not to mention the month and perhaps even the season.

“Mr. Fox doesn’t just rescue Dahl’s legacy on film,” Ramin Setoodeh wrote for Newsweek. “In a year stuffed with kid-lit movie adaptations, it’s the only one to successfully reach out to children and adults.”

While Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News wrote that the film was “a visual treasure that successfully blends deadpan quirkiness with a wry realism rarely seen in any film, let alone one for children.”

Old Dogs
Starring: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green
Director: Walt Becker

On a much less impressive note, Old Dogs is the latest low-brow comedy from Disney, giving Robin Williams and John Travlta a shot at being comic stars one more time… and failing.

Williams plays a divorcee who discovers that he actually has children he never knew about and is suddenly expected to take care of said kids while he and his best friend, played by Travolta, work on what could be the biggest business deal of their lives.

You hardly need much more coaxing to see where things lead from there, and it seems that most critics agree that Old Dogs is the hacked-together comedy we all would expect.

John Hazelton wrote for Screen International, “There are no new tricks in Old Dogs, a broad and frenetic family comedy which puts John Travolta and Robin Williams together with two cute kids in a cozily predictable family-comes-first scenario.”

Ninja Assassin
Starring: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Sho Kosugi
Director: James McTeigue

The other dud of the week is director James McTeigue’s (of V For Vendetta fame) Ninja Assassin, a weakly-scripted action film about a trained killer working to kill off the secret society that claimed him as a child and turned him the assassin he is today.

Starring Asian action star Rain as Raizo, the film is thin on plot, but loaded with blood and fight sequences that should impress diehard action junkies. For the rest of the population, it’s the usual “avoid at all costs scenario,” unfortunately.

“This amateurish action flick is so lacking in personality or punch, it ought to be titled ‘V for Video Store Discount Bin,’” Joe Williams quipped in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Big Fan
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rapaport, Marcia Jean Kurtz
Director: Robert Siegel

Finally, I have to mention director Robert Siegel first film, Big Fan, which opens in a limited number of theatres this week.

Best known as the screenwriter for the fantastic breakout film, The Wrestler, Siegel stepped up to write and direct his latest script which is a mesmerizing story of one loser sports fan, obsessed with his home town team, and headed for disaster.

Patton Oswalt stars as Paul Aufiero, a 35-year-old New York Giants Fan working as a parking-garage attendant who still lives at home with his mother. Returning home each night, his one hobby is to call the local radio station and praise his favorite team.

When he gets the chance to meet the iconic star from the team, linebacker Quantrell Bishop, Paul’s life gets flipped upside down when a mistake leads to the star player beating Paul into a coma that lasts for three days.

Once he recovers his family urges him to have some sense and help the police lay charges, but Paul refuses to listen since he knows a conviction could ruin the team’s chances without their star quarterback.

Big Fan is a great story, told simply, but presented marvellously by Siegel. The film does drag a little near the middle, where Paul simply resists any sort of change in his life, but Big Fan ends on a great note, and cleverly balances between the comic moments, and the underlying drama.