Apex (In theaters and streaming on VUDU & AppleTV Nov. 12)
Over the past half dozen years, Bruce Willis seems to have taken any role that came his way with largely disappointing results. In this latest adaptation of Richard Connell’s 1924 short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” Willis portrays prisoner Thomas Malone, promised his freedom should he survive a hunting party led by Samuel Rainsford (Neal McDonough). In an isolated forest, Rainsford guides four would-be man-killers who each pony-up big bucks for the privilege. However, Malone proves more than the hunters bargained for, using his wits, and anything at his disposal to pick them off, one by one. The action is likely to make the grade, so the film’s success rests upon the script’s ability to take advantage of Willis’s talent for the sarcastic action hero. (Lisa Miller)
Clifford the Big Red Dog (In theaters Nov.10)
Adapted from the 1963 book series by Norman Bridwell, the titular Clifford is Labrador-shaped, Santa-Claus-red, and stands 10-feet tall by 25-feet long. He’s a magical pooch owned by preteen Elizabeth (Darby Camp) who gets him from a pop-up animal shelter run by Mr. Bridwell (named for the author and portrayed by John Cleese). A regular size puppy at first, Clifford’s growth is fueled by Elizabeth’s deep love which causes Clifford to grow to the size of her bedroom. Elizabeth’s single mom and her ne’re-do-well Uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) support her love for Clifford despite the dog's enormous size.
As usual in family pics, there’s a villain bent on ruining everything. He’s snarky Tieran (Tony Hale), developer of genetically modified, oversized food. Elizabeth’s family lives in Manhattan where Clifford indulges his cute, but damaging puppy hijinks. He's redeemed after catching a man who would otherwise have fallen to his death and is even proclaimed a hero. CGI Clifford stands out against the film’s otherwise live action characters, but children won't care. For adults, comedian Jack Whitehall brings on the zingers. Although five writers are credited with penning this story, “Clifford” remains content to carry on its source material’s gentle tone. (Lisa Miller)
October: “Ten Days that Shook the World” (Corinth Films DVD)
For the 10th anniversary of the coup that brought them to power, the Soviet regime commissioned its most talented filmmaker, Sergei Eisenstein, to shoot October 1917. Innovative and influential, the film (reissued once again) exemplifies how “realism” can easily turn into propaganda. October was strictly Party line—Trotsky and the rival Menshevik communists were minimized, Lenin was glorified and the liberal government he overthrew were depicted as evil, maniacal schemers.
Truth aside, October was magnificently conceived. Essentially a silent movie with a somberly dramatic soundtrack by Dimitri Shoshtakovich, October tells its story visually with minimal assistance from title cards. Relentlessly rhythmic and always in forward motion, the narrative is assembled through an ongoing series of images—faces, actions, movement—accented sometimes by symbolic references that establish the character of people and events. In keeping with Bolshevik dogma, history was made by mases of people in motion, with Lenin holding the hand of historical inevitability. (David Luhrssen)
The Stand: “The Definitive 2-Series Collection” (CBS DVD/Blu-ray)
A deadly virus escapes a secret military lab and rapidly spreads across borders with deadly results. Stephen King’s 1978 novel The Stand could be seen as prescient but really, the horror novelist was just on the ball, reading up on likely contagions to come.
The original 1994 miniseries and the 2020 remake are presented side by side (with bonus features) in this collection. The original (stars include Gary Senise and Molly Ringwald) tells the story chronologically while the remake (with Whoopi Goldberg and Alexander Skarsgård) lurches back and forth in an uncomfortable stylistic twitch. Let’s call ourselves fortunate that COVID-19 wasn’t nearly as destructive as King’s “Captain Trips,” which wiped out the world save a minority of “immunes.” However, in the shadows beyond science where dreams blur into nightmares, good and evil are struggling for ascendence in King’s story. The 2020 redux was wrapped days before the industry was shut down by the pandemic. (David Luhrssen)
