NewDVDs Above and beyond the usual tinsel BY JEN CHANEY Stock up on candy canes. Practice the polite
smile you’ll need when your mother-in-law gives you polka-dot leg warmers for the fifth year in a row. Then engage in another time-hon- ored holiday tradition: Read this annual list of unconventional Christmas movies, all available on DVD or Blu-ray. Each film is set during the holidays and/or contains at least onememorable seasonal scene. Every option, suggested in no particular order, is a viable alternative to the usual yuletide cinematic fare of the “It’s aWonderful Life”/“A Christmas Story”/“Elf” variety. And they’re all far more useful than polka-dot leg warmers.
“L.A. Confidential” (R, 1997)Have yourself a
film noir Christmas with this Academy Award- nominated cop drama, featuring a plot that kicks into high gear after “BloodyChristmas,”an incident based on a real scandal in which L.A. police officers assaulted several suspects in custody. Need even more yuletide cheer? Oh, you’ll find it whenRussell Crowe throws Christ- mas decorations off a roof and beats up a guy accused of domestic abuse.
“Lady and the Tramp” (G, 1955) This animat-
ed favorite opens with a picturesque Christmas scene and an irresistible gift from a husband to his wife: a cuddly cocker spaniel named Lady. Lady eventually finds herTramp,andthe canine love story comes full circle, concluding with yet anotherChristmasscene that’s joyousandfull of precious puppies.
“Jarhead” (R, 2005) Didn’t get enough of a semi-naked Jake Gyllenhaal in his recent “Love & Other Drugs”? Then check him out in this underrated look at the lives of Desert Storm soldiers, which features Gyllenhaal partying to the sounds of “O.P.P.” while wearing nothing but a pair of SantaClaus hats—one on his head and the other more, um, strategically placed.
“Holiday” (Unrated, 1938) The same year
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant traded kooky quips in “Bringing Up Baby,” they also starred in this charmer about a man (Grant) whofalls for a wealthywoman(DorisNolan) but finds himself drawnto the sister(Hepburn)who understands his need to take a sabbatical. The yuletide connection: News of the impending nuptials is initially shared during a Christmas Day church service, then formally announced during a splashyNewYear’s Eve party.
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“L.A. Confidential” isn’t brimming with the yule spirit, butRussell Crowe, left, and Guy Pearce make this Oscar-nominated film noir stand out among unconventional holiday DVDs.
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by
Sapphire” (R, 2009): The story of a young woman who repeatedly gets pregnant and suf- fers from relentless abuse may not sound like the ideal film towatch while wrapping gifts. But there are undeniable rays of hope that ultimate- ly shine through in this Oscar-winning picture, especially during a scene in which Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) gets taken in by her saintly schoolteacher (Paula Patton) and finally finds domestic peace at Christmas.
“Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway” (Unrated,
2009) You could watch the movie based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about AIDS and artistic integrity. But why do that when you can see the final performance at Broadway’s Neder- lander Theater, which captures all the Christ- mas-set action in high definition?
“Black Christmas” (R, 1974) Nine years
before he gave us the BB-gun-coveting classic “A Christmas Story,” the late Bob Clark directed this decidedly darker yuletide chiller about a murderer lurking within the decked halls of a sorority house. The hairstyles are definitely retro, as is the notion that the police and the phone company must join forces to trace the source of a phone call. But the suspenseful moments remain timelessly tense.
“A Christmas Tale” (Unrated, 2008) Family
dysfunction always seems much more sophisti- cated when experienced by French people. And so it is in this absorbing look at a family
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gathering for the holidays, struggling with their mother’s illness and trying to make peace with one another.
“Go” (R, 1999) The “Pulp Fiction” era
spawned multiple movies with narratives that unfolded out of chronological
order.This movie, whose plot pivots around a holiday season rave dubbed theMerry Xmas Superfest, distinguish- es itself from the pack with a strong ensemble cast (Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes and Timothy Olyphant are among the principals) and com- pellinglyhyperkinetic direction byDougLiman.
“Steel Magnolias” (PG, 1989) If the season of
giving puts you in the mood for something weepy, this quintessential chick flick should fill the bill. A good portion of this female-centric drama takes place during Christmas, including a cookie-baking scene in which Julia Roberts reveals her pregnancy to concerned mother Sally Field, and another at a Christmas party where Roberts tries to set up a cranky Shirley MacLaine with an old flame. Don’t forget to ask Santa for extra Kleenex.
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From left, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, Dolly Parton, Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine are “Steel Magnolias.”
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elderly henchman, Dr. Nefario, Jason Segel as Gru rival Vector andWill Arnett as the president of the Bank of Evil. (PG, 95 minutes) Contains rude humor and mild action. At University Mall Theatres.
—A.H. rr½DUE DATE
With “Due Date,” director Todd Phillips perfects the particular brand of comic alchemy. Like “The Hangover,” this film features mismatched guys who don’t know each other very well on a road trip punctuated by ever-more-outrageous and physically painful mishaps. Of course, the main thing the film has in common with “The Hangover” is Zach Galifianakis, the portly comedian who betrays uncommon
grace despite his heavy frame. He’s a hirsute, gloriously unself-conscious man- child, unfettered by the laws that govern the rest of us, including those of good taste, social interaction and gravity itself. That pretty much sums up Ethan Tremblay, Galifianakis’s character who meets architect Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) at the Atlanta airport. The two embark on a cross-country car trip so that Peter can attend the birth of his first child. It’s a concept that was no doubt pitched to studio executives in one elevator ride, and most likely that’s why it works so efficiently. (R, 95 minutes) Contains profanity, drug use and sexual content. Area theaters.
—A.H.
rrrFAIR GAME NaomiWatts delivers an uncanny portrayal
of former CIA operative Valerie Plame in “Fair Game,” a crackling political thriller that deftly navigates the knife edge between all- too-familiar recent history and more universal personal drama. For the most part, director Doug Liman steers clear of re- litigating the leak of Plame’s name to the media during the Bush administration, instead focusing on how her being a spy, and then being outed, affected the Plame’s marriage to JoeWilson (Sean Penn). The film begins in Kuala Lumpur, where Plame works for the CIA under cover of being an energy executive. After a dicey situation in which she persuades a local contact to become an informer, she returns home, whereWilson is starting a freelance consulting career and caring for the couple’s young twins. Soon, Plame is reassigned to work on a task force studying whether Saddam Hussein
possesses weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and is told by higher-ups that the orders are coming from “across the river.” (PG-13, 104 minutes) Contains profanity. Area theaters.
—M.O. r½FASTER
To appreciate this sun-baked revenge flick directed by George Tillman Jr., it helps to have a healthy respect for the movie’s charismatic star. “Faster” works best as an ode to its main character, the Chevrolet Chevelle SS. Dwayne Johnson plays a not- unimpressive side of beef who, in his first days out of prison, is gunning for the backstabbing crooks who killed his brother. He’s identified, fittingly, only as Driver. As an actor playing a surgeon might spend time observing a hospital, so Johnson appears to
have modeled his performance on the bulls of Pamplona.We first see him pacing his cell, gleaming with sweat and snorting with rage as guards approach to lead him to freedom. Driver leaves jail at a dead run and doesn’t stop until he finds the Chevelle, inside which an accomplice has placed a gun and directions to his first revengee. In a matter of moments, he has driven across town, stalked across six lanes of traffic and shot a man in the head without a word. (R, 98 minutes) Contains strong violence, drug use and language. Area theaters. —Dan Kois
rFOR COLORED GIRLS
At first glance, this film seems aimed squarely at the audience the “woman good, movies continued on 31
the washington post friday, december 17, 2010 l
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