ON DVD TODAY: Spacey, eco horror and ‘Spaced’
“21” (PG-13):
In this slick, sorta likable thriller (loosely based on a true story) a couple of MIT kids put their mad math skills to the test and try to conquer the blackjack tables of Vegas. But even if they’ve got the numbers in control, they can’t keep their bastard professor (played by bastard Kevin Spacey) in check. And, well, complications ensue. Not bad. Not great. If this movie were a blackjack score, it’d be, um, like a 17. GRADE: B-
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“The Last Winter” (R):
So M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening” didn’t really do it for you as an environmental horror film? Well, you might want to try this nasty little film about a group of oil drillers who are either being stalked by supernatural forces or going mad in the isolated Alaskan terrain. The movie’s mostly abstract as to what’s actually happening. It’s really just one big excuse to host a scathing political allegory about America’s dependence on oil. So, you know, a horror movie for libs like me. But also a pretty scary flick. The cast is lead by “Hellboy’s” Ron Perlman and James LeGros. GRADE: B+
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“Spaced: The Complete Series”:
In the late ’90s the BBC had this really funny sitcom about a motley group of people who all lived together in an apartment. The good thing about this arrangement was instead of Courtney Cox or David Schwimmer, it included the not-yet-famous Simon Pegg (of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”). The series was actually the genesis of Pegg’s comedic team (Edgar Wright and Nick Frost were also part of the series). The cheeky tone and zippy pace of the show will appeal to anyone who loved Wright and Pegg’s next few films. This DVD of the complete series is the first time the show will be available in the U.S. Features commentaries by long-time “Spaced” fans Quentin Tarantino and Diablo Cody. GRADE: A
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“Vampyr” (Not rated): Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer knew how to get under people’s skin. His “The Passion of Joan of Arc” was an hour of extreme, almost unbearable, close-ups followed by a graphically brutal climax. And this 1932 silent horror film, his latest release on the always excellent Criterion Collection, is full of creepy, crawly images that’ll stay with you long after. GRADE: A
