DVD Zone: January 2008
Once
Fox Searchlight
It seems to happen every year: The S.L.I., or Scrappy Little Indie. At some point a scrappy little indie flick from across the pond shows up on our doorstep to remind us $300 million is not needed to make a good film. It will generally be about a scrappy dweller (or dwellers) of the underclass fighting the odds to work their way to better things. The writing will be impeccable, and the love story — be it love of family or love of another — will be universally hailed. Above all, it makes us remember that when green-lighting a film, the executives and tastemakers in Hollywood are really doing nothing more than tossing darts at a board.
You would think we wouldn’t be surprised when the S.L.I. comes knockin’, but damned if we aren’t caught off guard year after year.
This year’s S.L.I. is Once. It features all of the above S.L.I. traits, but also ups the ante by being a killer musical. Now if you’ve been living in a cave for the past few months and know nothing about the film, that last line may have already sent you screaming into the night. However, I can assure you this is not your typical musical. No show tunes are featured, and there’s nary a Liza Minnelli appearance to be found.
In the story of a recently dumped street musician (Glen Hansard of The Frames) who meets an equally star-crossed pianist (Markéta Irglová), the musical numbers come about naturally and organically — no action is stopped so they can break out in song and tear you away from the story. Instead, the music takes place exactly as you would expect it to from two musicians hanging out together: in a music store, among friends, and in a recording studio, just to name a few.
It’s notable that, with just two exceptions, the music is seamlessly performed as the cameras roll and not overdubbed in post production. It also helps that the songs themselves are, quite simply, killer, and should garner Oscar nominations.
It should also be noted that Hansard was originally only doing the score for the film. However, after the original actor left the project, he stepped in and took over the lead as well. Musicians acting is always a hit-or-miss proposition, but Hansard acquits himself nicely. Yet I can’t help but expect a new drinking game to come out of Once in which the viewers have to down a shot every time he says “Cool.” Trust me, you’ll be passed out within an hour.
The special features are a bit spartan, with only commentary by director John Carney, Hansard, and Irglová, the standard “making of” short, and a piece on the two stars.
Film: ***1/2 Features:**1/2
The Simpsons Movie
20th Century Fox
Has it really been 18 years? Can it really be the longest running comedy in television history? Can it really make the jump to the big screen? Can a person really ask too many rhetorical questions?
As “The Simpsons” finally made the jump to the big screen, there were legitimate questions to be asked. After all, for the past several seasons the show hasn’t exactly been the appointment television it used to be. For too long now it has provided mild chuckles instead of the genuine, tears-streaming-down-your-face-pause-it-so-you-don’t-miss-the-next-joke belly laughs it once did. So one had to wonder if the film came along a little too late.
Well, yes and no. It definitely provides more laugh-out-loud moments than a standard episode, and the animation looks like it has been catered to the big screen. However the film also relies on a lot of Homer getting slapped, run over, or eye-gouged type moments that have plagued the series for years now.
That said, The Simpsons Movie still rates as a successful TV-to-film transition.
The story is traditional Simpsons mayhem, as Homer’s actions cause Springfield to be quarantined under a giant dome. Of course, it’s up to the family to set things right. The plot elements aren’t exactly fresh (and after 18 years, how could they?), but they work.
The disc contains features including commentary by series creator Matt Groening and others, “Special Stuff” featuring Homer on “The Tonight Show” and “American Idol,” and some deleted scenes. I’d say that there’s a lack of extras, but those will come with the inevitable “Special Editions” that will surely be on the market in the near future.
Let’s just hope the sequel doesn’t take another 18 years to see the light of day.
Film: *** Features: ***
— Timothy Hiatt
