DVD Reviews

Here are some short reviews of DVDs that I have recently watched.

Good Morning, Night Marco Bellocchio's story of the 1978 Red Brigade kidnapping of Italian President Aldo Moro is quite an intriguing film. The story is told through the eyes of one of the kidnappers Chiara (nicely played by Maya Sansa). By day she seems like a normal person with a regular job. She even pals around with co-workers and visits her aunt on the weekend. But, she is living with three other members of the Red Brigade who want Italy to become a Communist country. They put Moro on trial and sentence him to death. When some of the members start to weaken the group's leader Mariano (splendidly played by Luigi Lo Cascio who plays a very different role in the outstanding The Best of Youth) tells them that there is no going back. Also giving a strong performance is Roberto Herlitzka who plays Moro. Part of the film is told through Chiara's dreams which show the opposite of what is happening in real life. The bottom line is - killing one person is wrong and it will not change anything. Real change comes through knowledge not violence. The film had a brief run in NYC and is definitely a worthwhile rental.

Stormy Monday I am always on the lookout for interesting European cinema so when I saw that this film was being released on DVD I made sure to add it to my Netflix list. Pedro Olea's film is a romantic melodrama and if you like this type of film as I do you then will like this film. Elena (Maribel Verdu) is a successful weather woman on a local channel. Her husband Chus (Jorge Sanz) is not much of a provider and is heavy into drugs. They have a young son. Their marriage is heading for trouble. The second couple that we meet is also having problems. Oscar (Dario Grandinetti) is a record producer and his wife Sara (Maria Barranco) is a former model. Sara is pregnant, unhappy and an alcoholic. Sara has her baby and continues to drink. When their son is a bit older tragedy strikes. Sara's drinking escalates and she winds up in a rehab center. It turns out that Chas is in the same rehab center trying to kick his drug habit. Sara and Chas become friends but little do they know that their partners have become lovers. Elena and Oscar are having an affair which includes love as well as sex. To say any more would be giving away too many plot points. All of the acting is good and, although some of the plot is predictable, I really enjoyed the film. If you like a good melodrama then check this one out.

Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit This Oscar winning animated film is just delightful. It is the story of how an overpopulation of rabbits will hurt the big vegetable competition that takes place every year in a small community. Wallace and his faithful (and silent) dog Gromit run a service that will humanely take care of the problem. However, by trying an experiment on one of the rabbits Wallace turns himself into a giant rabbit that by night ravages the vegetables. When it seems that the humane way is not working Lady Tottington, who runs the competition, agrees that Victor Quartermaine (who happens to be after the Lady's hand in marriage or, rather, her money) can take down the beast with his gun. In the end, Gromit comes to the rescue and no violence is used. The Lady winds up making her home a rabbit sanctuary and all is well. The animation in this film is stunning and it is easy to see why it won the Oscar. The vegetables look good enough to eat. The Lady's voice is supplied by Helena Bonham Carter, Quartermaine is voiced by Ralph Fiennes and Wallace/Hutch is voiced by Peter Sallis. As in his previous film Chicken Run, Nick Park promotes the humane treatment of animals. And, for a devout vegetarian like me that is a good enough reason to like this film.