Tuesday, June 10, 2008
New on DVD: The Bucket List, The Grand and Otis
The Bucket List teams Jack Nicholson with Morgan Freeman in what sounds like an acting tour-de-force made in heaven, but the rather depressing story line (involving twin terminal illnesses) confines this ultimately touching buddy tale to an extended purgatory. To avoid emotional trauma, you might want to watch this while snorting nitrous.
The Grand represents Zak Penn's second directorial outing (he's more active in film as a writer - his Hulk script makes it to theater screens this Fri., June 13). It's a mock documentary following the colorful characters competing in a World Series of Poker-type event, centering on the checkered (poker chipped?) career of a casino owner known as One Eyed Jack Faro (Woody Harrelson). The attraction here may be more in the players than the game, with guest appearances by director Werner Herzog, Gabe Kaplan, Ray Romano, Jason Alexander... the list goes on. Oh, and there's poker playing involved, if you're into that.
I caught Otis at its world premiere in Austin during SXSW. This is a terrorific film for home screen viewing, especially if the weekly Saturday night Sci Fi feature proves either lacking in interest or a repeat. And Bostin Christopher gives great Q/A.
