At the age of 81, Eleanor Coppola, wife of Francis Ford and mother of Sofia and Roman, has delivered her first fictional big screen feature as a writer and director, Paris Can Wait, a lightweight, unforced comedic travelogue across France. It’s not the kind of film that comes with a high degree of filmmaking difficulty, nor does it have to. It’s an old school, chaste, “will they or won’t they” romance blended together with a celebration of literally stopping to smell the roses every once in a while. It won’t launch the elder Coppola to the same heights as her noteworthy fellow family members, but as an early summer cinematic confection it hits a sweet spot before petering out in its later moments.
Diane Lane
New this week on DVD and Blu-ray: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren kick butt in the action-comedy, Red; Diane Lane stars in the horse-racing drama, Secretariat; plus a look at Saw: The Final Chapter, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest.
Opening this Thanksgiving weekend at a theatre near you: Diane Lane stars in the Disney drama, Secretariat; Ryan Reynolds is trapped in a coffin for 90 minutes in Buried; plus a look at Life As We Know It and My Soul To Take.
Out this week on Blu-ray, Kevin Costner stars in one of his last good films, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Plus, on DVD, Diane Lane and Mickey Rourke star in the adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Killshot; Renée Zellweger is off to the boonies for the romantic comedy New in Town; and aliens attack the Vikings in the B-movie extravaganza, Outlander.
There is at least one common thread shared by the major films coming out this week, and that’s the chilly reception they all received from the critics. From Eagle Eye, Nights In Rodanthe, and Choke, to Miracle At St. Anna, and The Lucky Ones, the consensus this week seems to be a negative one.
Last weekend a monster movie took over the cinemas and claimed one of the biggest January openings of all time. The film was Cloverfield, but can the monster keep audiences in theatres, or will Sylvester Stallone‘s return as Rambo draw box office blood? Audiences will decide this weekend, but if neither film is quite your style there are a few alternatives, including the thriller Untraceable, the dance-driven drama How She Move, the spoofy Meet The Spartans, and a concert documentary that lets you enjoy U2 in 3D.