What to Watch: Mar. 11-24, 2014

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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Photo credit: Weinstein

“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”

Perhaps Nelson Mandela’s life is just too well-known or too complex to successfully adapt into a film but this potential Oscar bait never really clicked with critics or audiences despite a hit song by U2 and a solid lead performance from the always-solid Idris Elba. It’s the kind of drama that could find the audience at home that it never did in theaters. Maybe the next attempt at a Mandela biopic will be the smash the world leader deserves.

From Pat McDonald’s film review: “The memory of South Africa freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, who passed away on December 5th, is filled with deserved accolades and iconography. Director Justin Chadwick and actor Idris Elba brings the man to human life in the essential “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.””

Synopsis:
Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary journey to becoming one of history’s most iconic figures is brought to life in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. “Idris Elba powerfully conveys Mandela’s charisma and impassioned dedication” (Claudia Puig, USA TODAY) as a political leader and human rights advocate. The film chronicles his early life, education, marriage to Winnie Mandela (Naomie Harris) and 27 year prison sentence before becoming South Africa’s first democratically elected president and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society.

Special Features:
o Mandela: The Leader You Know, The Man You Didn’t
o Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
o Tribute Video Gallery
o Feature Commentary With Director Justin Chadwick

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Vudu, Amazon Instant Streaming, iTunes

Saving Mr. Banks
Photo credit: Disney

“Saving Mr. Banks”

Even more than “Mandela,” this Disney-fied retelling of the making of “Mary Poppins” had Oscar written all over it. In fact, its two leads—Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks—were both winners and it told the saga of one of the world’s most beloved family films. What happened? I think the backlash here actually worked as writers and historians started to question the veracity of “Banks,” noting that it didn’t really connect with history. And then deeper questions about why audiences should embrace a movie that turns a woman who just wanted her personal vision to remain intact into a villain had to be raised. Once a film like “Banks” is branded with being sexist, it’s tough to shake. While I have some SERIOUS issues with a movie that downright discourages female screenwriters in an era when they’re already far too rare, Thompson and Hanks are both solid, as always, and it’s the kind of decent drama that can be enjoyed if you don’t approach it as truth. As usual, Disney stacks it with interesting special features, which is always nice.

From Pat McDonald’s film review: “The world of creation, and the imagination behind it, gets an honorable and elegantly performed treatment in the fascinating “Saving Mr. Banks.” What seems like a “making of” film about the legendary “Mary Poppins,” becomes much more rich in symbolism and consideration.”

Synopsis:
Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold true story about the origins of one of the most treasured Disney classics of all time. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs this acclaimed film, which reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of Mary Poppins. Determined to fulfill a promise to his daughters, Walt Disney (Hanks) tries for twenty years to obtain the rights to author P.L. Travers’ (Thompson) beloved book. Armed with his iconic creative vision, Walt pulls out all the stops, but the uncompromising Travers won’t budge. Only when he reaches into his own complicated childhood does Walt discover the truth about the ghosts that haunt Travers, and together, they set Mary Poppins free!

Special Features:
o The Walt Disney Studios: From Poppins To The Present
o “Let’s Go Fly A Kite”
o Deleted Scenes

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Vudu, Amazon Instant Streaming, iTunes

The Visitor
Photo credit: Drafthouse

“The Visitor”

Drafthouse Films has become one of the most impressive and enjoyable small companies in the business right now. If you haven’t seen one of the recent films they “unearthed,” the terrifying “Wake in Fright,” you owe yourself a trip to your Netflix queue. After that, stop by this oddity, a ’70s sci-fi/horror piece that stars Glenn Ford, John Huston, and Lance Henriksen (yes, you’re reading that cast list right). Psychedelic ’70s horror has never really been my thing. However, if it’s yours…

Synopsis:
In this unforgettable assault on reality - fully restored and presented completely uncut for the first time ever in HD - legendary Hollywood director/actor John Huston (The Maltese Falcon: Treasure of the Sierra Madre) stars as an intergalactic warrior who joins a cosmic Christ figure in battle against a demonic 8-year-old girl and her pet hawk, while the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. Multi-dimensional warfare, pre-adolescent profanity and brutal avian attacks combine to transport the viewer to a stat unlike anything they’ve experienced… somewhere between Hell, the darkest reaches of outer space, and Atlanta, GA. The Visitor fearlessly fuses elements of The Omen, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Birds, Rosemary’s Baby, The Fury, and even Star Wars, creating the most ambitious of all 70s psychedelic mindwarps. Its baffling all-star cast includes Shelley Winters (Night of the Hunter), Glenn Ford (Superman), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Franco Nero (Django) and Sam Peckinpah (director of The Wild Bunch).

Special Features:
o Interviews With Star Lance Henriksen, Screenwriter Lou Comici And Cinematographer Ennio Guarnieri
o Theatrical Trailer
o 16 Page Booklet

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Vudu, Amazon Instant Streaming, iTunes

In Fear
Photo credit: Anchor Bay

“In Fear”

I love a good home invasion flick and “In Fear” basically plays like a home invasion flick in a car when a poor couple gets lost and terrorized well off the beaten path. The problem comes down to execution. The art of the slow burn requires a deft hand or it slides into boredom and I long ago stopped caring what would happen to these characters before anything did.

Synopsis:
Experience the film being hailed as “chilling, tense, and scary” (Screen Daily). Young couple Tom (Iain De Caestecker of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Lucy (Alice Englert of Beautiful Creatures) are driving to a festival in the remote Irish countryside. When they leave the main highway to look for their hotel, they quickly lose their way along the back-roads. Lost and tormented as night falls, Tom and Lucy’s primal anxieties of the dark and the unknown start to take hold. When the couple discovers they are not alone, they realize that their worst fears lay in the road ahead. Allen Leech (Downton Abbey) co-stars in this shattering debut feature by writer/director Jeremy Lovering.

Special Features:
o None

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Vudu, Amazon Instant Streaming, iTunes

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com