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: "Side Effects" - Starring Jude Law and Rooney Mara

Viewers will never know what to expect from director Steven Soderbergh's latest film, Side Effects. Indeed, the versatile director changes things up constantly throughout the film and it keeps the audience off balance, but in a positive way. For instance, even though Jude Law receives top billing, his character, Dr. Jonathan Banks, seems more like a supporting character throughout the first part of the film, while Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum, as married couple Emily and Martin Taylor, are front and center. However, as the story plays out, Dr. Banks is pushed into the center of an intriguing plot that threatens to ruin him and his career, but he plans to fight back.

The initial story centers around Martin Taylor, who is seen being released from prison after serving time for insider trading. His wife, Emily, appears strong, supporting and loving, but then purposely crashes her car into a wall in a parking garage. As a result, she is declared a suicide risk and is assigned to the care of Dr. Banks, who prescribes a series of anti-depressant medications. When they seemingly fail to work, Banks contacts Emily's former therapist, Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), for advice. She suggests a new drug, Ablixa, that appears to help Emily, although she experiences bouts of sleepwalking. When Martin arrives home while Emily is apparently sleepwalking, she stabs him several times, leading to his death. The repercussions of that event are felt by Dr. Banks, whose professional and personal life are turned upside down by his alleged mishandling of the case, for the balance of the film.

Frankly, I had no idea where Side Effects was headed until around the final act. Viewers may think they have things figured out, but then another surprise is introduced into the story. In the meantime, the inmates are clearly running the asylum and the sane, and perhaps honest, characters are made to look crazy. That is the genius of the screenplay by Scott Z. Burns, which is reminiscent of a classic Alfred Hitchcock film, but without a blonde lead character.  Emily and Dr. Siebert are brunettes, but Dr. Banks' wife, Deidre (Vinessa Shaw), has the distinction of being a buxom blonde, even though she is a supporting player in the endless drama that is filled with more twists than you can imagine.

Soderbergh's terrific cast deliver strong performances, especially the underrated Jude Law, who receives material worthy of his talents. Rooney Mara is also quite good, as the complicated Emily, as is Catherine Zeta-Jones, as the calculating Dr. Siebert. I am at a loss to explain why Side Effects was not at least a modest box office hit. It is one of the best films I have seen so far this year and boasts a terrific cast who are all given a chance to shine, courtesy of Steven Soderbergh, and rise to the occasion. Side Effects is a superb film.

New in Theaters: "Rise of the Guardians" Will Make You Believe

Photo Credit: DreamWorks

Like the Josh Groban song from The Polar Express, anything is possible if you just Believe. Indeed, belief is the key to the story in the new animated film Rise of the Guardians, which features Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, Jack Frost and even the Boogeyman! As children, we may or may not have believed in the aforementioned and well known legends, many of whom are known as the Guardians in the new film, which is based on William Joyce's book The Guardians of Childhood. Even though the Guardians are alive and well, a renewed threat from the an old nemesis, Pitch Black (the Boogeyman), threatens their existence.

Pitch Black (Jude Law) wants to stop children from believing in their childhood idols and hopes to snuff out all belief on Earth, which is displayed on Santa's huge globe. Pitch begins by dispatching the Sandman, also known as Sandy, who does not speak, but wields immense power. Once Sandy is gone, it is up to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy to avenge him and halt the plan hatched by Pitch Black. With help from the Man in the Moon, the Guardians suspect that young Jack Frost may be able to join their ranks, but Jack is not so sure. He is frustrated that no one believes in him and that he cannot be seen by others when he wants to play and have a good time. Jack enjoys starting snowball fights between children and also saves them from injury from time to time, but he never gets any credit. On the other hand, the Guardians can be seen because children believe in them, but their time may be ending if Pitch Black's plan comes to fruition.

Jack is unable to remember his early life, but Pitch Black apparently does. He also understands that Jack may be powerful enough to be a Guardian, so he lures him away from the others by kidnapping one of the Tooth Fairy's little helpers. Pitch tricks Jack and then proceeds to break his staff, which is the source of his power. Having defeated two Guardians, Pitch's plan is set in motion.

Rise of the Guardians features unconventional representations of the aforementioned characters. For instance, Santa Claus (Alex Baldwin) displays a Russian accent, a kick-ass attitude and is a wild sleigh rider. In addition, the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), sports an Australian accent and is also a no-nonsense tough guy, but does not possess the diplomacy of Santa, who appears to be the group leader. Then there is the lovable and beguiling Sandy, who uses images made out of sand to communicate with the others. He is, perhaps, the most powerful Guardian, but since he falls asleep on the job, he is not the best choice to be the leader.

I always imagined the Tooth Fairy to be a male, but the female version depicted here works well, thanks to the energy and enthusiasm of Isla Fisher. Tooth appears to be constantly happy and proves to be a good caretaker for her mini-fairies, who are threatened by Pitch. Rounding out the Guardians is, of course, their potential newest member, Jack Frost (Chris Pine), whose youth seems out of character, but his back story explains a great deal. Jack's journey is the centerpiece of the film and conveys the message that it is amazing what someone can do when he/she is surrounded by people who believe in him/her.

The adapted screenplay, by David Lindsay-Abaire, is targeted to the younger demographic, although the sometimes dark subject matter and the limited violence may be too disturbing for some children. Of course, older viewers are likely to be familiar with all of the Guardians from their own childhood, in one form or another. In addition, the animation is beautifully presented and the 3D technology does add some enjoyment to the film, but is not essential to fully appreciate the effort put forth here.

I was surprised that the film is set during springtime, since Santa Claus and Jack Frost may remind viewers of the winter months and the holiday season is now upon us. Perhaps the filmmakers, including director Peter Ramsey, wanted to shine a light on the underrated Easter Bunny, whose land of mini-eggs is showcased and will surely make viewers smile. In any event, Rise of the Guardians is a wonderful family film that has cross generational appeal and may make choosing a holiday movie that everyone can enjoy a little easier this year.