DVDs Of The Month: June

The Oscar DVDs are still trickling in, with this month offering some of the smaller fare which may have missed your nearest multiplex, as well as some of the big-winners of the night, including for Best Picture. If that isn’t your thing, there’s also one of the big sleeper hits of this year from one M. Night Shyamalan.

Moonlight

Oscar winner for Best Picture, Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay, Barry Jenkins’ tale of a young black boy, Chiron, struggling with his sexuality is a quietly powerful piece that earned deserving praise for both its cinematic achievements as well as its honest (and stereotype-avoiding) depiction of minorities that are far too scarcely seen on screen. The film is split into three separate chapters, each detailing different part in Chiron’s life; as a young child, at high school and as an adult. This allows you to see Chiron’s progression as well as come to understand the influences on him and the long-term impacts those have. The film is told in an almost poetic manner, using dream-like imagery to pull you in (its striking visuals are ones that will stay in your mind). It is these, mixed with incredibly strong, raw performances that really lift the film. Its quiet ways will likely not be for everyone; you need to be in a place to give yourself over to the film and immerse yourself in it. It rewards close watching, and heavy exposition is scarce, leaving you to figure out what is happening. It is a beautiful piece of cinema that, thanks to its awards, will hopefully have made it onto more radars than it otherwise would have.

Is it worth a Blu-ray? The beautiful visuals and colours could certainly warrant higher definition, but at the same time, a softer picture wouldn’t take away from the story.

Read the full review: ‘Moonlight’ Review

Fences

Based on August Wilson’s play of the same name, and featuring the same two Tony-winning leads (Viola Davis and Denzel Washington) from the 2010 Broadway production, Fences is an intimate tale of the life of a working family, that provides a true acting masterclass. Following the family of sanitation worker Troy Maxson (Washington) in the 1950s. Complex familial relationships are explored, as well as certain secrets revealed and twists (albeit ones that you may predict) thrown in. It often feels more like a filmed play, lacking a certain cinematic quality, but is engaging nonetheless. Washington and (Supporting Actress Oscar winner) Davis are powerfully captivating in their roles as husband and wife, perfectly delivering each line of the rich script which masterful fervor. Whilst the tale may be a little predictable, it is told so well, that doesn’t degrade it.

Is it worth a Blu-ray? This is not hugely cinematic in its visuals as its power lies in the words and performances so a Blu-ray would be of little value here.

Read the full review: ‘Fences’ Review

Split

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest is a taut horror-thriller that signals his come-back to be well and truly underway. The film centres on the kidnapping of three teenage girls by Kevin (James McAvoy), a man with 23 different personalities; some friendly, some not. It is the implications of Kevin’s condition that allow the film to step away from the pack of ‘kidnap movies’ as his ever changing personal state allows for friends and foes to exist within the same person who could flit between them at a moment’s notice, adding greater danger and tension. This is all sold terrifically by McAvoy’s performance as he manages to craft distinctive characters purely through his acting, without having to rely on signals such as a change of clothes or props. The twist (because, of course, there is a twist) is also not the type of twist you’d expect. The more you know of Shymalan’s filmography, the more you’ll get out of this.

Is it worth a Blu-ray? The dark visuals don’t necessarily warrant a Blu-ray.

Read the full review: ‘Split’ Review

20^th Century Women

Perhaps one of the most underseen gems of this year so far, Mike Mills newest offering garnered him an Oscar nom for Original Screenplay that was well-deserved for this unconventional comedy-drama. The film centres around a household of eclectic characters detailing their relationships and struggles as they navigate their lives in the 1970s. It is hard to summarise as it is so much more than what a genre categorization could suggest. It has incredible power to evoke various emotions (from highs to lows), as well as make you think.
Featuring a stellar class including Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning and Billy Crudup, plus Lucas Jade Zumann, it is a brilliantly acted film with the ensemble’s characters and relationships feeling so incredibly real and adding a sense of authenticity to the film. The star, however, is the brilliant and unconventionally structured script, whose rhythms may at first appear strange and uneven, but once you settle into it, becomes a captivating and powerful tool. It is a beautifully crafted original piece that will serve as a refreshing treat for any viewer.

Is it worth a Blu-ray? Not really, the words and characters are the stars here, wit a softer image perhaps more appropriate for its time setting and feeling.

Read the full review: ’20th Century Women’ Review

Loving

Based on the true story, Jeff Nichols’ latest details the trial of Loving vs Virginia (1967), a landmark civil rights case where couple Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and an Oscar-nominated Ruth Negga, respectively) fought against the persecution by the law that they found themselves under due to their inter-racial marriage. The battle eventually made it to the Supreme Court, and managed to change the United States’ constitution. The film is more about the people involved in the court case, as opposed to the court case itself (which has been well documented). It is quietly powerful in depicting the love and determination of the Lovings to succeed and not give in to the attitudes of their society and government at the time. The acting of the central pair is subtle yet remarkably authentic, perfectly capturing the real love and torment the couple experienced throughout the long ordeal. The focus on them makes this an intimate affair, making it feel real and more emotional than perhaps a focus on the case would have done.
Despite knowing the outcome of the story, it still manages to engage you and is a touching tribute to two people whose love changed the face of their country.
And if you haven’t seen any of Nichols’ films yet, you really need to.