There were a lot of great blockbuster movies released over the summer of 2008, and many people probably missed the chance to watch a number of very good movies that came out on DVD over the June through August months. Here are a handful of movies that are quite noteworthy, so that those with a bit of time and a Netflix account can catch up with their recreational viewing. As opposed to the big screen treats that marked week after record-breaking box office week in the summertime, the following are easily enjoyed on a smaller screen. What they lack in special effects, each makes up for in its own way.
For those Amy Adams fan among us, there is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Directed by India-born up-and-comer Bharat Nalluri, Adams and Frances McDormand play off one another very well in this fast-paced farce set in pre-war 1939 London. Miss Guinevere Pettigrew (McDormand) has just been sacked for the umpteenth time and stumbles into a new position running interference for a flighty, young, would-be actress named Delysia Lafosse (Adams). Miss Pettigrew then spends a whirlwind day dispensing sage advice and acting as social secretary for Lafosse as three suitors vie for her affections. Both characters discover more and more about one another, and themselves, as they navigate choppy socialite infested waters over 24 hours of mayhem. In related rumor-mongering, it appears that Nalluri is courting Tom Cruise to act in a near-future project. More information on Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day can be garnered via http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970468/.
Although the acting is a touch flat in a few places, the cinematography of The Other Boleyn Girl is so captivating, it has a way of carrying you through the rough patches. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, who play Anne and Mary Boleyn respectively, both turn in strong performances, though it can hardly be helped that the role of Mary is written to be out-shone by her sister. Eric Bana as Henry Tudor delivers a strikingly sophisticated turn, at times quite devious and shallow, while still holding all the cards of kingship and never coming off as less than in control in front of his subjects, except when his conscience gets the better of him. The rest of the ensemble is strong throughout. If some feel that historical inaccuracies tend to ruin films, then this one should be avoided, but otherwise take a look just to keep up with what these two fine leads are doing with what portend to be long and fruitful careers. More information on The Other Boleyn Girl can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200/.
Turning back from drama to comedy, Semi-Pro is one of those dumb laugh riots that requires the audience to accept in advance that it will be an absurd and wild ride. Will Ferrell is up to his usual broad comedy shenanigans as Jackie Moon, a player coach for the 1976 Flint, Michigan Tropics, an American Basketball Association team hoping to be one of the few chosen to merge with the NBA rather than being dissolved. Moon’s antics on the court and wacky promotion ideas designed to pack the stands, and increase the prospects of the team’s merger, are the highlight of this movie, but the excellent comedic talents of the full cast shine from moment to moment. Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Andrew Daly, Will Arnett, Andy Richter, David Koechner and Rob Corddry all co-star. More information on Semi-Pro is available at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0839980/.
By far the favorite of the bunch is In Bruges. If this film is what we can expect to see from writer director Martin McDonagh in the future, we can also expect to see him collect a pile of awards in the future. This touching, dark comedy turns the audience inside out and all around from scene to scene so skillfully it is hard to catch one’s breath until it is over and all the pieces fall into place. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes and Clémence Poésy find every note and laugh in an excellent script, and not a moment is wasted throughout. Every nuanced sigh and slight glance is used to its fullest, and the tone and pitch of each and every word captures the depth imbued by these actors into their characters. Truly, this is a movie that is going to resurface as a dark horse around Oscar time. Info on In Bruges can be had from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/.