There isn’t a whole lot to choose from this week on home video, but here are a few morsels for you anyway. Sadly, the biggest release we have (or, at least, the release with arguably the biggest star) is a failed thriller, but to make up for that, we’ve got a handful of acclaimed documentaries and a notable collection from Waner Bros. See below for the full list.
Michael Cooney penned the script for 2003’s decently reviewed Identity, so he’s had a little success working the multiple personality angle. Unfortunately, none of that success carried over to his latest script for 6 Souls (known outside the US as Shelter), a supernatural psychological thriller with twists and turns galore. Julianne Moore plays psychiatrist Cara, who’s compelled by her father to examine an intriguing new patient named David (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). As she spends more time with David, new personalities emerge, and Cara discovers David’s dark alter egos may shed light on gruesome mysteries from the past. Critics almost unanimously panned the film, calling it everything from conventional to preposterous. The plot fails to cohere, the drama peters off en route to an absurd conclusion, and most wondered how someone of Moore’s talent ended up starring in it. At 4%, 6 Souls is probably worth skipping, unless you’re just morbidly curious.
For the uninitiated, the Up documentary film series has diligently followed the lives of a handful of strangers from diverse backgrounds, beginning with 1964’s Seven Up!, when all of its subjects were, naturally, just seven years old. Michael Apted took over directorial duties beginning with the first sequel, 7 Plus Seven, checking in with some or all of the original fourteen children every seven years, and last year we got the latest installment, 56 Up. 56 Up features everyone except for Charles Furneaux, who decided against further participation in the series after 21 Up, and generally serves as a check-in with the gang. The entire series has received high praise from critics, however, and 56 Up is no different, as it is a unique cinematic phenomenon to witness, across decades, the growth and maturation of real lives on screen. If you haven’t seen any of the previous films, the effect may be lost on you, but Certified Fresh at 98%, this will be a welcome return for most.
Documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry Kissinger, Why We Fight) turns his eye toward the war on drugs in The House I Live In, specifically honing in on issues surrounding prohibition and the demonization of addicts. Beginning with the elderly housekeeper who helped raise him and who lost her own son to drug-related causes, Jarecki offers up a well-researched narrative history of America’s relationship with narcotics, peppering in interviews with professors, doctors, politicians, members of law enforcement, and even producer David Simon (The Wire). Critics found The House I Live In a thoughtful, refreshingly propaganda-free, and surprisingly balanced exploration of an important, timely topic, and rated it Certified Fresh at 93%. The war on drugs is something of a hot-button issue these days, and if you’re interested, this will provide some food for thought.
