DVD Recommendation: "The Company You Keep" Starring Robert Redford

Robert Redford directs and stars in a movie tailored for an adult audience in The Company You Keep. The character driven and extremely well acted film features a superb cast and tells the story of former dissidents from the Vietnam war era, who may now have to pay for their crimes, which include murder. Attorney Jim Grant belonged to the group, although he switched identities years earlier. However, you never know when the past may come back to haunt you and soon Jim finds himself in an unsettling situation after the arrest of one of his former cohorts, Sharon Solarz (Susan Sarandon). Making things more difficult is an eager young reporter, Ben Shepard (Shia LaBeouf), who works for (gasp!) a print newspaper and is determined to learn more about their organization, known as The Weather Underground.

Jim is spooked, so he takes precautions to protect his young daughter, Isabel (Jackie Evancho), since the child's mother passed away unexpectedly not too long ago. He relies on his brother, Daniel (Chris Cooper), for help to shield her from the mess that his life is about to become and he signs over custody rights, so that Isabel can stay with Daniel. Jim then goes on the run and visits many old friends from the past, some are happy to see him, others are not. His goal is to locate a former lover, Mimi Lurie (Julie Christie), who can exonerate him, but she may not be willing to help. In the meantime, Shepard is beginning to unravel the mystery and may just be able to help Jim, instead of leading the police to his doorstep.

Robert Redford has assembled an amazing group of actors, including Richard Jenkins, Brendan Gleeson and Nick Nolte. They all play important roles in the engrossing screenplay by Lem Dobbs and even though screen time is limited for some of them, including Susan Sarandon, they all make the most of it. Clearly, The Company You Keep is aimed for a mature audience, some of whom may remember the rebellion that occurred throughout the decade of the 1960s and beyond and may be able to relate to the characters on some level. Others, like myself, will find enjoyment in seeing so many familiar and talented faces from start to finish. I felt like I was at a reunion of sorts, even though I did not really know anyone. The Company You Keep is an underrated gem that features not only a nod to the past, but also showcases young talent, including Brit Marling, Anna Kendrick and the aforementioned Shia LaBeouf, who delivers a strong performance as a nosy, but well meaning, reporter. If you missed this one in theaters, rent or stream it on DVD.

Blu-ray Spotlight: "Cold Mountain" (2003) - Starring Nicole Kidman and Jude Law

The late, great Anthony Minghella directed and wrote the screenplay, which is based on the book by Charles Frazier, for the epic love story Cold Mountain. Mingehlla also helmed The Talented Mr. Ripley, one of my all-time favorite films, and Cold Mountain shares many of the same qualities with that effort, including a stellar cast, incredible cinematography, superb music, and of course, outstanding writing and direction.

Cold Mountain is told in flashbacks and is set during the early days of the Civil War in North Carolina, where a preacher's daughter, Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), falls for a carpenter, W.P. Inman (Jude Law). Their time together is short, as the war begins and Inman goes off to fight with the Confederate army. However, he is seriously injured in battle and is sent to convalesce at a military hospital. Despite his loyalty to the army, Inman is troubled by Ada's seemingly difficult plight back home, which he learns from one of her many letters that is delivered to him. As a result, he decides to desert the army and travel the long road home to be with and help his love. However, his journey is complicated by encounters with a weaselly preacher, a young woman with a sick child, and a serious illness.

Back at Cold Mountain, Ada's father, Reverend Monroe (Donald Sutherland), has passed away and she struggles with taking care of the land and making ends meet. She is determined to keep the land and soon secures the assistance of the unorthodox Ruby Thewes (Renee Zellweger), whose strength of character is exactly what Ada needs to set things right again. However, members of the Confederate Home Guard, led by Teague (Ray Winstone), make things difficult for the residents of Cold Mountain and often resort to vicious tactics to get what they want. Teague is determined to obtain Ada's land because it once belonged to his family, but she refuses to sell to him. Ruby's father, Stobrod (Brendan Gleeson), and his friends soon arrive and prove to be valuable to both Ada and Ruby, but after an altercation with Teague and his men, all of the their lives are placed in danger, as Inman slowly makes his way back.

In addition to the aforementioned actors, the cast also includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathy Baker, Eileen Atkins, Giovanni Ribisi, Emily Deschanel, Jack White, Ethan Suplee, Cillian Murphy, Natalie Portman and Charlie Hunnam. The extraordinary cast is one of the finest ever assembled for a motion picture and they conspire to make Cold Mountain one of the best films I have ever seen. As much as I enjoy watching the film, it is a reminder of the loss of Anthony Mingehlla, who I am sure had many more great projects to contribute. Minghella passed away in 2008 from a hemorrhage following cancer surgery.  

The Blu-ray extras include:
Audio Commentary from Anthony Minghella
Deleted Scenes
Two featurettes; Climbing Cold Mountain and A Journey to Cold Mountain
Sacred Harp History
The Words and Music of Cold Mountain - A Royce Hall Special

DVD Recommendation: "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" (2012)

I watch a lot of movies, but only occasionally discover a film that takes me completely by surprise. The Pirates! Band of Misfits is one of those films. Based on the first installment of Gideon Defoe's The Pirates! book series, the film centers around the Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) who has fallen on hard times because his plundering efforts have been largely unsuccessful. He even considers changing careers, until his "number two," known as the Pirate with a Scarf (Martin Freeman), encourages him to try one last time with a ship called the Beagle. Alas, there is no treasure to be found, but the Pirate Captain and his crew capture Charles Darwin (the film is set in 1837), which proves to be fortuitous for them all.

Darwin has no money to speak of, but he informs the Pirate Captain that his pet parrot, Polly, is actually a Dodo bird, a species that has been long thought extinct. Darwin wants to enter the bird into the Scientist of the Year competition, which is being held in London, and promises that if he wins, it will mean untold treasure for the Pirate Captain. However, England's Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) hates pirates and that is made abundantly clear through sight gags, as well as her venomous outbursts. The Pirate Captain and crew decide to go to London anyway and since they are all experts in creating disguises, they will try to pass themselves off as scientists. That is no easy feat, since the crew members are not intellectually gifted. However, they are willing to do anything to help their leader.

While in London, Darwin's true colors are revealed, as he tries to steal Polly, but the seemingly incompetent Pirate Captain is lucky, if nothing else, and he is able to save his beloved bird. After Polly wins the Scientist of the Year award for the Pirate Captain, the untold treasures do not amount to much, but they do include a visit from Queen Victoria, who arrives promptly after the winner is announced and orders the Pirate Captain to be killed after his duplicity is revealed. However, Darwin intervenes and encourages the Queen, who he is secretly in love with, to pardon the Pirate Captain and she does, on the condition that he find Polly, who is actually hidden in the Pirate Captain's beard! The balance of the film finds the suddenly confident Pirate Captain entering into the Pirate of the Year competition, after sneaking out of England and away from the Queen, with Polly in tow. However, their paths cross again when the ruthless Queen makes him an offer he cannot refuse and then in the finale during an exciting seafaring adventure.

The aforementioned Gideon Defoe wrote the screenplay, which is consistently funny, often absurd and features countless sight gags that more observant viewers will appreciate. The deadpan delivery from the talented voice actors is hilarious, as they try to play the material straight, which is no easy feat. I enjoyed the risque nature of some of the situations. For instance, the Pirate Captain appears to really love Polly and the exact nature of their relationship is left up to viewers to decide. I also enjoyed the way Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is skewered, via his relationship with Bobo the monkey, and the unconventional names of the pirates. For example, Pirate with Gout (Brendan Gleeson) and Albino Pirate (Anton Yelchin). Finally, the camaraderie among the crew members is admirable. They all accept one another, without condition, and will seemingly do anything for their beloved, if challenged, Pirate Captain.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a rare film in the sense that it should play equally well to both younger and older viewers. Children will enjoy the animation and overall silliness of the story, while adults will recognize more subtle references, including the more risque ones. I had a smile on my face from start to finish while watching this film and I sincerely hope there will be a sequel. An outstanding effort overall. By the way, watch out for maps that depict sea creatures. They may not be just for show!

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2013 Academy Awards.