DiCaprio, Winslet shine in stunning 'Road'
"Revolutionary Road" - Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet atone for their "Titanic" sins with this powerful (if bleak) drama about the unraveling of a marriage. DiCaprio and Winslet are two of the best actors working today, and they display a unique chemistry as Frank and April Wheeler, a seemingly perfect couple living a seemingly perfect life in 1950s suburban Connecticut. Fear gnaws at both of them, though - fear of being ordinary, of dying with no dreams realized. Gradually, this fear pries them apart, until Frank and April can't tell whether it's love or hate they feel for each other.
DiCaprio and Winslet are fantastic here. It's a pleasure to watch them work off each other and sink their teeth into this great material. Justin Haythe's script (based on the novel by Richard Yates) and the visual storytelling by director Sam Mendes (Winslet's husband) bring these people to life beautifully. Watching "Revolutionary Road" can be a grueling experience, but it's a rewarding one. The DVD includes an excellent transfer of the film along with a lively commentary from Haythe and Mendes, deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. It's a nice package for one of 2008's best films. (R; Paramount, $19.99 or $29.99 for Blu-ray)
"Defiance" - Edward Zwick's latest historical drama tells an inspiring and little-known true story with the right amount of reverence, but a weak script keeps it from catching fire. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber play Tuvia and Zus Bielski, members of a Jewish farming family in Nazi-occupied Poland who build a community of survivors in the forests and fight back against the invading army. Craig and Schreiber are strong here, and Zwick ("Blood Diamond," "Glory") does a nice job showing the devastating toll that war takes on soldiers and civilians alike. On the negative side, the supporting characters barely qualify as sketches, and the movie succumbs too often to action-film clichés (the last-minute arrival of reinforcements in a key battle feels like a scene from "The A-Team"). "Defiance" is an entertaining glimpse of a part of World War II history that remains overlooked, but the film falls short of greatness. The DVD offers a pristine transfer of this well-shot film and an illuminating, if brief, array of background materials about the film and the real events that inspired it. (R; Paramount, $19.99 or $29.99 for Blu-ray)
"New York Yankees: Perfect Games & No-Hitters" - Like most right-thinking baseball fans, I hate the Yankees. But this six-disc set, which spotlights legendary pitching performances from Yankee hurlers, offers something even for us haters. First, you get Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, a priceless time capsule that includes the play of baseball gods like Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle along with the broadcasting panache of Mel Allen and a young Vin Scully. Another highlight is the inspiring 1993 no-hitter thrown by Jim Abbott, who reached the major leagues despite being born without a right hand. (Check out thin-as-a-rail Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez playing for the Cleveland Indians in this one!) The set also offers no-hitters from Dave Righetti (1983) and Dwight Gooden (1996), along with perfect games from David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999). These are not highlight films, remember, but the complete television broadcasts of the games. If you're buying for a baseball fan this Father's Day, check out this set. (NR; A&E Home Video, $49.95)