New on DVD this week...
Interstellar
It’s a dustbowl scenario come true in the near future of Interstellar, where humankind has wreaked so much havoc on the Earth that crops have failed and population has dwindled drastically. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a corn farmer, a widower barely surviving with two kids and his father-in-law (John Lithgow) at home. But Coop used to be a pilot for NASA and his old mentor (Michael Caine) has big plans to man an expedition to one of 12 possibly viable worlds. When it comes to Earth: “We’re not meant to save it, we’re meant to leave it.” McConaughey perfectly conveys the anguish of a father leaving his children in order to save the world; visually the film, a combination of 35mm and 65mm Imax technology, is an impressive, immersive sci-fi experience. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain also star. Special features: McConaughey narrates an almost hour-long extra on The Science of Interstellar, featuring astrophysicist Kip Thorne (who also has a producer credit). There are 10 separate making-of featurettes on everything from shooting in Iceland, to the design of the space suits, to the planting a cornfield at the farmhouse location (outside of Calgary), to “articulated machines.” There’s something for everyone.
Top Five
Chris Rock writes, directs and headlines this bitingly funny, borderline biographical look at one’s man’s fraught relationship with fame. He’s Andre Allen, who has gone from standup to movie mega-stardom to “Dancing with the Stars, that’s where you are,” according to his agent (Kevin Hart). It takes an interview with a nosy, down-to-earth reporter (Rosario Dawson, fantastic) for Allen to take a hard look at his life. Star-studded cast includes Cedric the Entertainer, Gabrielle Union, Tracy Morgan, Romany Malco, Ben Vereen, Sherri Shepherd, Brian Regan and others (plus Jerry Seinfeld in a strip club). Extras include commentary with Rock and JB Smoove, a making-of extra, Top Five Moments you didn’t see in the film, deleted scenes and Andre Allen standup outtakes.
Into The Woods
This fairy-tale mash-up, Disney’s take on the Sondheim-Lapine Broadway smash, marries Cinderella (Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone, Tracy Ullman) Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford, Johnny Depp),  with a witch (Meryl Streep), a baker and his wife (James Corden, Emily Blunt) and even a giant (Frances de la Tour). There’s humour, as when princes Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen sing about love’s “Agony,” but there’s mostly darkness to be found in this tale of ambiguous morality, self-preservation and the quest for love ever after. A fairy tale for grownups, perfectly executed. Extras on the blu-ray include a cut scene of Streep singing “She’ll Be Back”; there’s one on the woods as a metaphor and extra character, according to director Rob Marshall, Sondheim, cast and producers; there’s a special on the cast “Good as Gold,” and commentary. Several other featurettes examine the visual effects, set design, intricate costumes and stage-to-screen adaptation.
Unbroken
Angelina Jolie as director tells the true story of Louis Zamperini: Olympian, WWII pilot and POW camp survivor. Jack O’Connell (currently seen in ’71) plays Louis, whose tale is perhaps too big to cram into a feature film, even one with a 138-minute run time. Moments of unflinching violence and emotional power highlight this near-impossible wartime survival story. Impressive special features include: deleted scenes; three detailed making-of featurettes; a cast and crew concert with Miyavi (aka Takamasa Ishihara, the terrifying prison guard); there’s an extended look at the prison-camp Cinderella panto; a rumination on Louis’ Christianity and the power of forgiveness; the best extra is perhaps the one featuring interviews with 97-year-old Zamperini before his passing in 2014. Â
