The Wind Will Carry Us Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Behzad Dorani, Bahman Ghobadi

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: Farsi

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Cohen Media Group

DVD Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 118 minutes

 

        Released in 1999, The Wind Will Carry Us is a deceptively simplistic story with contemporary themes dealing with the clash of modern technology in a world built upon old traditions. Restraint in the filmmaking process of Abbas Kiarostami only adds to the themes presented, giving everything shown more significance because of all that is left out of frame. The number of characters whose faces are never seen only enhances the impact of the scenery, which takes on one of the largest roles in the film’s narrative.

 

Next Goal Wins DVD Review

     Actors: Coach Thomas Rongen

Directors: Steve Jamison, Mike Brett

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Ketchup Entertainment

DVD Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

 

        I don’t really follow sports, and have never been much of a competitive person in that regard. I can appreciate the talents and abilities that go into playing the games, but find the personalities of entitlement and inflated egos an infuriating aspect of what it can become. Winning becomes everything and that’s usually when I lose interest. The reason why I hate sports but love sports movies is because the films always focus on the underdogs and the improvement of character that inevitably helps them win. In some of the best, they don’t even have to win for it to be a victory.

 

The French Minister DVD Review

     Actors: Thierry Lhermitte, Niels Arestrup, Bruno Raffaelli, Raphael Personnaz

Director: Bertrand Tavernier

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: French

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 29, 2014

Run Time: 114 minutes

 

 

        Based on the award-winning graphic novel by former government speech writer Abel Lanzac, The French Minister is The Devil Wears Prada of political films.  The narrative is far more concerned with the comedic nightmare of working for an egomaniacal public personality than the actual politics that it is all endured to accomplish. It is about the job, rather than being about the cause, which allows it the relatable qualities of narrative that made past horror boss films successful as well.

 

Finding Vivian Maier DVD Review

     Actors: Vivian Maier

Director: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 29, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        Finding Vivian Maier is a compelling cinematic documentation of young filmmaker and amateur historian John Maloof’s discovery of a never-discovered photographer from the past. Maloof purchased boxes of Maier’s work at an auction, without knowing what he had bought. This purchase led to an investigation and he discovered that she was a nanny who did street photography as a hobby over the course of her life. The work and the unraveling of this mystery is the strength of the film, while the interviewees can be more of a distraction and irritation.

 

Community: The Complete Fifth Season DVD Review

     Actors: Joel McHale

Format: Multiple Formats, AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

DVD Release Date: August 5, 2014

 

        It’s actually fairly ironic that “Community” character Abed (Danny Pudi) is obsessed with the show “Cougar Town,” because the two shows have more in common than you might think. Television is an unpredictable medium. Unlike film, a dedicated fanbase is not enough to ensure continued productions. Many fan-favorite shows have been canceled in the past, and only recently have they learned how to find new homes on different networks or new media outlets. “Arrested Development” had a second life through Netflix, but the gap in-between production seemed to kill any momentum in the series. “Cougar Town” jumped from ABC to TBS without the same break, and following this season “Community” will be moving from NBC to the online programming of Yahoo TV.