Banks keeps 'Uninvited' from wearing out its welcome
"The Uninvited" - This thriller, part of the new "PG-13 Remake of an Asian Horror Film" genre, delivers all the temporary pleasures and long-term regrets of a greasy fast-food dinner. Elizabeth Banks shines in a villainous role as Rachel, the former nanny for a Connecticut family who becomes romantically involved with the father after the mother's sudden death. Anna, the youngest of two daughters, returns home from a stay in a psychiatric hospital convinced that Rachel had something to do with the "accident" that killed her mom. She and her older sister, Alex, investigate Rachel's past, only to find out that their future stepmother doesn't take such intrusions lightly.
"The Uninvited" offers nothing that even casual horror fans haven't seen before. But crisp direction from brothers Tom and Charlie Guard - the whole film clocks in at less than an hour and a half - and a nicely pitched performance from Banks keep things fairly interesting throughout. The final minutes, though, bring one of those "shocking" twist endings that render everything you've seen up to that point virtually meaningless - curse you, M. Night Shyamalan, for starting that trend with "The Sixth Sense"! I thought the ending was cool at first, but later I just felt annoyed. Still, if you need to kill an evening and you're in the mood for something spooky, you could do worse than "The Uninvited." The DVD includes a few deleted scenes, a standard-issue making-of featurette and an alternate ending. The Blu-ray has the same extras. (PG-13; Paramount, $19.99 or $29.99 for Blu-ray)
"Nickelodeon/The Last Picture Show" - The coolest thing about "The Last Picture Show" is how director Peter Bogdanovich melds Old Hollywood storytelling with a New Hollywood frankness about sex, language and relationships. Bogdanovich tells the story with the kind of simple, unadorned images (in crisp black-and-white) that classic Western filmmakers like John Ford were known for. The story itself, though, is a caustic look at boredom, moral decay and broken dreams in small-town Texas (and, by implication, America as a whole). The 1971 film has aged well, even if a few of the scenes that stunned audiences in the early '70s seem tame today. The black-and-white photography looks great, and the movie's a treasure trove of good acting; Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Cybill Shepherd and Ellen Burstyn all deliver pitch-perfect performances. I love this flick.
"Picture Show" is half of a Bogdanovich double-feature offered on this two-disc DVD set. The other half is "Nickelodeon," his much-maligned 1976 comedy about the early days of the movie industry. The movie makes its DVD debut here in its original color theatrical version and a black-and-white director's cut. "Nickelodeon," a sometimes awkward mix of tones and styles, isn't anywhere close to the achievement that "Picture Show" is, but I liked it overall. The black-and-white photography of the director's cut actually deepens the film's impact, making this movie ripe for reappraisal. The director's cut comes with a Bogdanovich commentary. "Picture Show" also sports a commentary, along with a retrospective making-of and a new interview with Bogdanovich about the movie. This is a fascinating two-disc set featuring work from one of America's more fascinating filmmakers. (R and PG; Sony, $24.96)
Also out this week - "Hotel for Dogs" (Paramount); "Bride Wars" (Fox); "What Doesn't Kill You" (Sony); "JCVD" (Peace Arch Entertainment).