Page 66 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Observer Showbiz What’s Hot and What’s Not on DVD & Blu-Ray
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Movies, DVDs With Jim Sherlock and Aaron Rourke Aaron Rourke writes: Welcome back everyone, and here's hoping that 2013 proves to be a great year for film. I hope all our readers had a warm and wonderful Christmas break, and saw in the New Year with good cheer.
CHARLES DURNING
February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012
● Looper FILM: LOOPER: Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller/Sci-Fi. Cast: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt. Year: 2012. Rating: MA15+. Running Time: 119 Minutes. Format: DVD and BLU-RAY. Stars: *** Verdict: A briskly entertaining science fiction yarn set in the year 2044 of a young man working for a group of killers called "Loopers" - who work for the mob and kill people who are sent blindfolded back in time from the year 2074 by their bosses, only this time he recognizes a victim as himself, and as he hesitates, it results in the escape of his older self. Pacing and a few pot holes offer little distraction, but it has enough thrills, action, and even a bit of romance, to fill in a couple of hours with satisfying results. FILM:
NIGHT GALLERY Season One: Episode: Steven Spielberg's EYES. Genre: Drama/Thriller/Fantasy/Anthology Series. Cast: Joan Crawford, Tom Bosley, Barry Sullivan, Rod Serling. Years: 1969. Rating: PG. Running Time: 50 Minutes an Episode. Format: DVD. Stars: **** Verdict: Legendary Twilight Zone creator and host Rod Serling followed his landmark anthology with Night Gallery, and though similar in format, each week we got a new tale represented by a painting in an old museum, and tales that have a darker, more horrific edge - But it is the pilot episode "Eyes", of a rich, heartless woman ('Joan Crawford' ) who has been blind from birth and blackmails a surgeon and a desperate man to give up his sight so she can see that remains the standout of the entire series, an episode that brought a young then unknown director Steven Spielberg to the attention of many, and set him on his now legendary path. FILM: GOODNIGHT, MR. TOM: Genre: Drama/War. Cast: John Thaw, Nick Robinson, William Armstrong. Year: 1998. Rating: PG. Running Time: 108 Minutes. Format: DVD. Stars: **** Verdict: Finally on DVD in Australia! The poignant and moving tale of an emotionally wounded and bitter elderly man in an English village at the outbreak of World War II who is forced under protest to take a painfully quiet and shy 10 year old boy evacuated from war ravaged London, only to reveal a horrific secret. A superb drama that is brought to vivid life with excellent performances by British stalwart John Thaw as the old man and Nick Robinson as the boy, aided by beautiful location filming and period detail, this is sure to touch those who see it.
■ I couldn't start this year without mentioning terrific character actor Charles Durning, who passed away on December 24, aged 89. One of the most popular and wellliked thespians in the business (he was certainly up there with Ernest Borgnine), Mr Durning created a number of memorable personas in several classic films. His personal life was also fascinating, surviving some of the most horrific incidents of WWII. Mr Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York on February 28 1923, the ninth of 10 children. Sadly, five of his siblings would die during childhood, from either smallpox or scarlet fever, and his Irish immigrant father, who was badly injured during WWI, died when Charles was only 12. At the age of 21, Mr Durning served with the 1st Infantry Division in WWII, and he was the only member of his unit to survive the first landing on Omaha Beach of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 (Durning was unable to talk about his war experiences until the mid 1990s). He was the second man off his barge, and first and third man were killed (the barge stopped too early, and when Durning leapt over the ramp, found himself in 60 feet of water with a 60-pound pack on, which he had to dump; by the time he reached shore, Durning had nothing, while he saw bodies lying everywhere). If his D-Day experiences weren't enough (he was shot in the hip and legs three days after landing), Mr Durning miraculously survived the infamous massacre at Malmedy, Belgium, where German SS troops slaughtered 88 American POWs, and it is a dark memory he always found hard to talk about. As one can see, Mr Durning lived an eventful life even before he turned to acting, a decision he made at a relatively late stage, but it would be a decision that would delight millions of movie goers around the world. After a handful of brief appearances in TV shows in the mid 1950s and early-mid 60s (his debut being You Are There in 1953), Mr Durning would work with master film-maker Brian De Palma in the dark satirical comedy Hi, Mom! (1970) (****), quickly followed by the under-rated drama The Pursuit Of Happiness (1971) (****), directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill A Mockingbird). The film that brought Mr Durning a lot of attention was the Oscar-winning classic The Sting (1973) (****½), where he played corrupt cop Lt Snyder. This good-natured, cleverly written con-artist comedy starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford ensured that Mr Durning would be busy for the rest of his career. Alternating between TV (Madigan, All In The Family, Barnaby Jones, Baretta) and film (including De Palma's immensely suspenseful Hitchcock homage Sisters (1973) (****), Billy Wilder's variation on His Girl Friday, the enjoyable
The Front Page (1974) (***), his Oscar-worthy turn in Sidney Lumet's brilliant Dog Day Afternoon (1975) (*****), and Breakheart Pass (1975) (****), one of Charles Bronson's best films), Mr Durning was building up an impressive body of work. Other notable works include the under-appreciated cold-war thriller Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) (****), directed by Robert Aldrich and is now finally available on BluRay in its complete 146-minute version; The Choirboys (1978) (**½), a loud, uneven, but intriguing black comedy again directed by Aldrich; The Fury (1978) (****), teaming up again with De Palma; An Enemy Of The People (1978) (**), one of Steve McQueen's last films; Tilt (1979) (***), as a pinball champion who battles a young Brooke Shields; The Muppet Movie (1979) (*****), a marvellous family film where he played the villain; North Dallas Forty (1979) (****½), starring Nick Nolte; When A Stranger Calls (1979) (***), a hit-andmiss horror/thriller with a tense opening 20 minutes; Attica (1980) (****), a gritty TV prison drama; The Final Countdown (1980) (***½), a very entertaining time-travel adventure starring Kirk Douglas, and inspired by the Japanese film G.I Samurai (1979); True Confessions (1981) (***½), a religious themed killer/thriller with Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall; Dark Night Of The Scarecrows (1981) (***), a made-for-TV horror film; Sharky's Machine (1981) (****), a brutal cop drama directed by and starring Burt Reynolds, with Brian Keith, Bernie Casey and Henry Silva; the Burt Reynolds musical comedy The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982) (***), where Mr Durning got to sing; Tootsie (1982) (***), starring Dustin Hoffman; To Be Or Not To Be (1983) (***), with Mel Brooks; Cop (1988) (***½), starring a typically intense James Woods; Cat Chaser (1989) (***), directed by Abel Ferrara; Dick Tracy (1990) (***), starring Warren Beatty; The Music Of Chance (1993) (****), a great lowkey thriller with James Spader; The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (****), a charming film from the Coen Brothers; I.Q (1994) (***½), starring Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins; One Fine Day (1996) (****), with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer; Homicide : Life On The Streets (1998) (****½), an excellent cop TV series; Lakeboat (2000) (***½), written by David Mamet; O' Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) (***), again for the Coen Brothers; State And Main (2000) (**½), written and directed by Mamet; Everybody Loves Raymond (1998-2002, six episodes); Family Guy (***½) (several episodes providing the voice of Francis Griffin); and the highly acclaimed TV series Rescue Me (2004-2011) (****), where he played Denis Leary's father. Mr Durning's final completed project was Amazing Racer (2012), and was filming Scavenger Killers when he passed away. Another unique talent and screen presence that will be sadly missed. - Aaron Rourke
Top 10 Lists THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. DJANGO UNCHAINED. 2. LIFE OF PI. 3. THE IMPOSSIBLE. 4. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. 5. WRECK IT RALPH. 6. LES MISERABLES. 7. THIS IS 40. 8 GANGSTER SQUAD. 9. GUILT TRIP. 10. PARENTAL GUIDANCE. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: JANUARY 31: FLIGHT, THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, ZERO DARK THIRTY. FEBRUARY 7: ELLES, HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, LINCOLN, MOVIE 43, WHOLE LOTTA SOLE, ABCD (ANY BODY CAN DANCE). THE DVD TOP RENTAL & SELLERS: 1. THE EXPENDABLES 2 [Action/ Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis]. 2. LOOPER [Action/Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt]. 3. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES [Action/Crime/Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy]. 4. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD [Drama/Dwight Henry, Quvenzhane Wallis]. 5. TED: Extended Edition [Comedy/Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane]. 6. MENTAL [Comedy/Drama/Toni Collette, Anthony LaPaglia]. 7. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA [Animated/Comedy]. 8. ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTIAL DRIFT [Animated/Comedy/Ray Romano, Denis Leary]. 9. MADAGASCAR 3: Europe's Most Wanted [Family/Animated]. 10. BRAVE [Family/Animated/Adventure/Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson]. Also: ARBITRAGE, THE WATCH, HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, BAIT, LOCKOUT, THE BOURNE LEGACY, TOTAL RECALL, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, MOONRISE KINGDOM. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: THE WORDS [Drama/Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons]. RUBY SPARKS [Comedy/Annette Bening, Paul Dano]. THE POSSESSION [Horror/Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick]. PIXAR: SHORT FILMS COLLECTION - Volume 2. PIXAR: SHORT FILMS COLLECTION - Volumes 1 & 2. NEW & RE-RELEASE CLASSICS ON DVD HIGHLIGHTS: BUGSY [1991/Drama/Crime/Warren Beatty, Annette Bening]. HIGH ROAD TO CHINA [1983/ Action/Adventure/Tom Selleck]. GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM [1998/ Drama/John Thaw]. QUIZ SHOW [1994/Drama/Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro]. ONE EYED JACKS [Western/ Drama/Marlon Brando, Karl Malden]. Turn To Page 00