Woman in Gold,
directed by Simon Curtis
(PG-13, 109 minutes)
Movies implode more often than they improve. Woman in Gold is the rare film that limps along for most of its running length before closing in a surprisingly satisfying fashion.
It's too bad the audience will likely lose interest along the way, because the true story at the heart of the film is fascinating: Maria Altmann (played here with grit by Helen Mirren) is a displaced Austrian-Jewish aristocrat who escapes Europe with her opera-singer husband before World War II, then spends years trying to recover a number of Gustav Klimt paintings stolen from her family by the Nazis.
The most famous of these is a flashy gold-leaf-embellished art nouveau portrait of her aunt Adele Bloch-Bauer that shows up in the Belvedere Palace, Austria's national art museum, after the war. The painting, renamed Woman in Gold, is considered a national treasure by the Austrians.
The film opens in the 1990s with Maria, now living in California, going through her recently deceased sister's effects, where she discovers paperwork that suggests she might have a claim to the painting hanging in the Belvedere. So she engages the services of struggling lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds, not the right guy for this role) to help her recover her family's property.
Randy, whose grandfathers were Austrian composers Arnold Schoenberg and Erich Zeisl, reluctantly takes on the difficult case. He and Maria travel to Austria, where they are aided by savvy Austrian investigative journalist Hubertus Czernin (Daniel Bruhl). Dead ends and bureaucracy abound, as do smug Austrians. It's all fairly predictable until a more compelling story, set in the salons of 1930s Vienna, takes over the screen. These stylized interludes are better realized and more affecting than the courtroom scenes.
If you've seen The Monuments Men (2014) or the documentary Adele's Wish (2008), you know how the Nazis looted the art treasures of occupied countries. Woman in Gold tends to trivialize these events; the subject deserves a more intelligent treatment than Hollywood is equipped to give.
Joe Dirt (PG-13, 91 minutes) David Spade stars in this unpretentious, totally tasteless 2001 adventure comedy about the title character, a rather ridiculous mullet-haired janitor at a Los Angeles radio station who seeks to find his parents after being abandoned at the Grand Canyon as a child. With Dennis Miller, Brittany Daniel, Christopher Walken, Adam Beach, Jaime Pressly and Kid Rock.
Blu-ray bonuses include interviews with Spade and the cast, reminiscences about the making of the film, a behind-the-scenes look at forthcoming Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, commentaries from Spade and director Dennie Gordon, outtakes and bloopers, deleted and alternate scenes, and the original theatrical trailers.
Maggie (PG-13, 85 minutes) A ponderous, overly restrained approach to the zombie genre with Arnold Schwarzenegger doing a surprisingly credible job in an unusual role (for him) of playing a father who's relentless in his efforts to save his infected teenage daughter (Abigail Breslin). With Joely Richardson, J.D. Evermore; directed by Henry Hobson.
Slow West (R, 84 minutes) There's nothing cliched about this oddly fantastic, fatalistic and imaginative Western that envisions a merciless landscape with no compassion for its occupants. The film follows idealistic 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a titled Scottish teenager who sets out with horse and handgun to find the young Scottish woman he loves with the help of mystical fellow traveler Silas (Michael Fassbender) and other remarkable characters. With Rory McCann, Brooke Williams, Ben Mendelsohn; directed by John M. Maclean.
Survivor (PG-13, 96 minutes) Memories of the plot won't stick around after viewing this murky, predictable espionage thriller in which a foreign service officer (Milla Jovovich), who's framed for a terrorist bombing, dodges being taken out by a focused assassin (Pierce Brosnan) so she can stop a much more destructive plot to destroy Times Square when there are a million people there. The ending is particularly lame, as is the dialogue. With the (wasted) talents of Emma Thompson, Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster; directed by James McTeigue.
Ned Kelly (PG, 100 minutes) Just because Mick Jagger plays the title character in this 1970 Western that's making its Blu-ray debut doesn't mean it's worth much. But there's a certain amount of fun in watching the legendary rock star in his younger days play a legendary outlaw in the 1870s Australian outback who goes on a robbing rampage with his brothers after his mum (Clarissa Kaye-Mason) is arrested for murder. Shel Silverstein wrote the music, which is performed by Jagger, Waylon Jennings, and Glen Tomasetti. Directed by Tony Richardson.
Merchants of Doubt (PG-13, 96 minutes) This satirical documentary about corporate deception, directed by Robert Kenner, explores how the media can spin stories, confuse the public, and delay public action on some of the most pressing issues of modern times, from tobacco to climate change. The Blu-ray combo pack includes deleted scenes plus commentary and a Q&A with director Kenner.
No Way Jose (R, 98 minutes) Adam Goldberg stars in this straight-to-video release as Jose Stern, a down-and-out indie rocker who, kicked out by his girlfriend, is forced to stay at the uproarious home of a friend who's married with children and also falling apart. Advice sought from his burnt-out friends, dysfunctional family and alcoholic ex-girlfriend results in varying levels of success. With Ahna O'Reilly, Emily Osment, Gillian Jacobs. Goldberg, who wrote the score and screenplay, also directs. The DVD includes deleted scenes and outtakes plus commentary by Goldberg.
Deli Man (PG-13, 91 minutes) Ziggy Gruber, proprietor of Kenny & Ziggy's in Houston, one of the most acclaimed Jewish delicatessens in the United States, leads the way in telling fascinating and affectionate stories about some of the country's finest delis such as Katz's, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate 'n Al, Carnegie, and Stage, and the comfort foods and curious characters at the heart of their appeal. Food-fan viewers will love the interviews with deli operators and celebrity customers, along with archival photos and old menus, that chronicle the growth of delis from their mid-19th-century origins to their heyday in the 1930s.
MovieStyle on 07/10/2015