I’m not one of those who thinks that TV is better than movies these days—both have their unique virtues, as far as I’m concerned—but if the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge had gotten a theatrical release last year, it’d have been a strong contender for my Best Films Of 2014 list. Director Lisa Cholodenko and screenwriter Jane Anderson do right by Elizabeth Strout’s kaleidoscopic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, using an episodic structure to capture the arc of one sour Maine schoolteacher’s adult life; and Frances McDormand gives one of her best performances as Olive, capturing the character’s acerbic sense of humor and lack of social graces. Cholodenko won a DGA award for her work; McDormand won a SAG award. Both should be in the mix for the Emmys later this year.
Speaking of awards, Kino Lorber has assembled four Oscar-winning films from its KL Studio Classics Blu-ray line into a very nice box set. While Marty, Elmer Gantry, Separate Tables, and Coming Home don’t have a lot in common beyond their statuettes, all are worthy, and this bundle’s a good bargain. Also out today and excellent: Dan Gilroy’s seedy Los Angeles neo-noir Nightcrawler, Tsai Ming-liang’s Taipei melodrama Stray Dogs, Ruben Östlund’s tense social satire Force Majeure, and Jean Renoir’s classic 1936 short film A Day In The Country (the latter of which we’ll have a full review of next week).
DVD and Blu-ray (* = combo pack)
Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Walt Disney/Buena Vista)
Brotherhood Of Blades (Well Go USA)
A Day In The Country (Criterion)
Don’t Look Now (Criterion)
Fear Clinic (Starz/Anchor Bay)
F.I.S.T. (KL Studio Classics)
Force Majeure (Magnolia)
Frankenstein Vs. The Mummy (Image)
Kill The Messenger (Universal)*
Laggies (Lionsgate)
Lilting (Strand)
The Lookalike (Well Go USA)
Nekromantik 2 (Cult Epics)
Nightcrawler (Universal)*
Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter (Hannover House)
101 Dalmatians: Diamond Edition (Walt Disney)*
Poker Night (XLrator)
Predestination (Sony)
Rosewater (Universal)*
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (KL Studio Classics)
Stray Dogs (The Cinema Guild)
Syncopation (Cohen)
DVD
The Activist (Media In Sync)
Addicted (Lionsgate)
After The Fall (Peace Arch)
Arkham Sanitarium: Soul Eater (Bayview/Widowmaker)
Bound (Cinedigm)
Champagne For Breakfast (Vinegar Syndrome)
Come Under My Spell/Lady Dynamite (Vinegar Syndrome)
Dead Walkers: Rise Of The 4th Reich (Bayview/Widowmaker)
Diamond Ruff (NAMP)
Exposed (Zeitgeist)
Felony (Gravitas)
Foreclosure (Virgil)
The House Of Last Things (Revolver)
Island Of The Living Dead (InterVision)
Kink (MPI)
The Legend Of Black Annie (Maverick)
Mac Daddy & The Lovers (Fenix)
Marsha: The Erotic Housewife/For Single Swingers Only/Her Odd Tastes (Vinegar Syndrome)
Momoe’s Lips (Impulse/Nikkatsu)
A Mouse Tale (Lionsgate)
One Small Hitch (Freestyle)
Open Sesame: The Story Of Seeds (Disinformation)
Proof Of The Devil (Genesis)
Refuge From The Storm (Peace Arch)
RPG (Arc)
A Secret History: The Making Of America (Bayview/Widowmaker)
The Song (Sony)
Through A Lens Darkly (First Run)
A True Story (Freestyle)
Vandal (First Run)
Zombies: The Beginning (InterVision)
Blu-ray
Academy Award Winners: Marty/Elmer Gantry/Separate Tables/Coming Home (KL Studio Classics)
Love At First Bite/Once Bitten (Scream! Factory)
Vampire’s Kiss/High Spirits (Scream! Factory)