Photo © Bleecker Street
Ralph Fiennes in ‘The Return’
Ralph Fiennes in ‘The Return’
The Last Video Store
(Arrow Video Blu-ray)
Video stores were the way to chose movies and explore the world of cinema—especially if you sought films unlikely to be shown on any network or cable channel. The Last Video Store is a humorous tale of a 20something returning her dead dad’s long overdue VHS rentals to her city’s last remaining video store, a place more spectral than brick and mortar. Her visit turns into a cheesy sci-fi-horror-thriller of the ilk that video stores rented in the day—and unlikely to be streaming anywhere now. (David Luhrssen)
The Return
(In Theaters Dec. 6)
Director Uberto Pasolini delivers his rendition of a classic, wisely anchoring the effort in Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche’s performances. Pasolini adapts Odysseus, leaving out the first two-thirds of the tale and omitting its mythical beasts, to join the protagonist 20 years after the Trojan war. Odysseus (Fiennes) returns home to Ithaca as a nobody, the island where he was, and technically still is, King. Haggard and unrecognizable, he chooses not to reveal himself. With Odysseus presumed dead, wife Penelope (Binoche), must choose to wed one of multiple suitors, each anxious to assume the throne. She cleverly delays making her choice for the sake of son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer); a threat to any new king. With time running out, Penelope’s plight compels Odysseus to prove himself worthy. The two-hour screenplay, co-written by Pasolini with Edward Bond and John Collee, takes its time. In the director’s minimalist world, Fiennes and Binoche wield nuanced characters. (Lisa Miller)
Scala!!!
(Severin Blu-ray)
London’s Scala was a cinematic experience, a venue for midnight movies as well as classics in the age preceding cable movie channels. Because of its sometimes-daring programming, the theater’s coffee bar became a gathering spot for London’s punk scene and the various post-scenes to follow. Everything from Pink Flamingos to Man with the Golden Arm was screened at the Scala, not to mention the UK debut of David Lynch’s Eraserhead.
For their documentary, directors Jane Giles and Ali Catterall interviewed patrons from the Scala’s golden age in the late ‘70s through ‘80s. Many regulars became filmmakers or writers, inspired in part by the creative landscape they inhabited at the cinema. The Blu-ray release includes the documentary (with requisite commentary and outtakes) plus two additional discs of short documentaries that illuminate the subject along with gonzo indie flicks that were shown on the theater’s big screen. At the Scala, going to the movies was more than just a date night. (David Luhrssen)
Y2K
(In Theaters Dec. 6)
Nostalgia intersects with science fiction in a story that envisions Y2K’s dreaded malfunctions coming to pass and then some. We meet high-school friends Eli and Danny (Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison), as they prepare to join a cool Y2K party. Danny yearns for a chance to impress Laura (Rachel Zegler), a computer whiz and popular girl. As midnight strikes, everything digital becomes weaponized. Stay away from the microwave! Following several comedic, gnarly deaths, the kids flee to a hilltop, bearing witness to the havoc below. Directed by former SNL cast member Kyle Mooney (who also co-wrote), the film comes up short on its twin concepts, but earns props, and a few laughs, for the effort. (Lisa Miller)
