DeadCalm Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Crank: High Voltage (Two-Disc Special Edition)
With Gamer out in theaters, the mini-debate about Neveldine and Taylor -- mad geniuses of action cinema or destroyers of all that is visually coherent? -- can continue. Never-say-die Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) comes roaring back to life for another adrenaline-fueled adventure, accompanied once again by the very game Amy Smart. It's the only new mainstream film out on DVD today, so be prepared to fight like a dead man if you want to rent a copy at your local shop. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.

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Valentino: The Last Emperor
Why not try something a little more refined, a little more elegant, a little more ... Valentino? The legendary fashion designer himself is showcased in Matt Tymauer's doc, and by all accounts he's a charismatic, charming personality. In other words, no need to fear if you feign little interest in fashion; the film is more interested in listening to Valentino talk than in delineating the vagaries of changing styles, which may help explain why it became a box office success. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.

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The Quick and the Dead
Sharon Stone got the lion's share of the attention during the film's original 1995 release, but her star billing could not eclipse the burning talents of young Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, not to mention the villainous Gene Hackman and the incredible supporting cast, including Gary Sinise, Pat Hingle, Lance Henriksen, Keith David, and Tobin Bell (the future Jigsaw). It all hangs on the ferocious, audacious direction by Sam Raimi. New on Blu-ray. Buy it.

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Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner -- all after the jump!

If there's anything worse than admitting a love for Far and Away, it's probably also admitting a love for Enya's "Book of Days," the new-age singer's single from the film's soundtrack. Well, maybe I should just head off to film critic prison for this one, then, because I listened to my Far and Away CD a whole lot when I was a younger man -- and didn't even skip the Razzie-award nominated track.

Anyway, about the film: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play Irish immigrants who hate each other until they realize they're in love (a romantic plot that never fails!), with an epic story that traces them from their homeland, to Boston and on to Oklahoma, during the late 1800s. It is something of a historical farce, and generalization full of Irish stereotypes, which was blasted by critics and did only so-so at the box office, but I think it is Ron Howard's best-looking film, at the very least. And it exists unfortunately as Mikael Salomon's last film as a cinematographer before trying a relatively unsuccessful hand at directing. I may have had a small crush on Kidman before Far and Away, thanks originally to BMX Bandits and later to Dead Calm, but the way Salomon lit her up in one scene -- the one inside the house they've broken into, with the snow falling outside the window -- made me fall in love. And, obviously I forgive her for being incorrect in her handling of her accent (technically, Cruise's horrible-sounding accent is the correct one).

Finally, the movie just keeps building up steam, climaxing with a brilliantly staged depiction of the Oklahoma Land Rush. After the whole journey is complete, it was impossible for me not to think, as a boy, that this was what great filmmaking is all about. Of course, I was wrong, and looking back I can spot a lot more problems than I had then, but I still can't deny having a thing for it. It remains, far and away (har har), my favorite of Howard's films.