New Release on DVD/Blu-Ray/Streaming This Week: Including Aloha and Citizenfour

There are three releases of note this week for home viewing:

ALOHA
Directed by Cameron Crowe
Screenplay by Cameron Crowe
Starring: Bradley Cooper; Rachel McAdams; Emma Stone; Bill Murray; and John Krasinski



 A military contractor (Cooper) returns to the site of his greatest career triumphs and re-connects with a long-ago love (McAdams) while unexpectedly falling for the watchdog (Stone) assigned to him. However this time he is working as a subcontractor, not for the military.

Cameron Crowe returns!! Again spotlighting on someone facing life changing decisions having to decide which door to walk through. Very much like Jerry McGuire and Elizabethtown (Which I think is underrated). He also, as always, brings his music with him. This time he uses it almost constantly, almost knowing he was fighting a tone in the film, so he needed the music to manipulate the tone a bit.
I see two big problems with the film:
1-Too much is going on. Bill Murray and his wealth and contracts. Cooper with his ex and his watchdog and the locals. Krazinski is suppose to be funny...no. McAdams will she go back to her ex or stay with her husband. Stone the supporter for the Hawaiian people and her stripes. A mystery daughter. A satellite battle that made no sense. Throw in the spiritual theme. It is just so much the film cannot find its tone.
2-Cooper; Murray; McAdams; Krazinski; Baldwin are all not likeable!! So it is hard to connect or care about them. In fact I think we are suppose to care about Cooper's character, and I just found him to be a jerk.

Notice I left Stone's character off that list. In the trailer she seems miscast but not true. In fact I think she shines!! She owns this film. There is one scene where she is dancing with Bill Murray and it is magic. She is really good in this film. I saw one reviewer criticize her being a pilot!! What???!! You don't think a young lady at 27, that is her age, and at 5'6 cannot fly for the Air Force???!! Sexist much??!!

3 out of 5 stars for Aloha. Sadly just better than average. Kind of disappointing because Crow does not make too many films. It has its moments...most of the time when Stone is in the picture. So it is definitely worth a watch now that it is available for home viewing.
Oh and one last thing. A professor in Hawaii criticized this movie for it being insulting to the people of Hawaii. He sure did not see the movie. If anything this film shows nothing but respect to the people....in fact it puts down the main landers. And criticizing Stone unfairly for being Hawaiian.
Again...not fair!! In the film it is a running joke, she keeps saying she is a little bit Hawaiian. People kind of laugh at her. It is a small joke in the film, and obviously people who did not actually see it pounced on her for playing a Hawaiian.

TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT
Directed by Jean Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne
Screenplay by Jean Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne
Starring Marion Cotillard



Sandra (Cotillard), a young Belgian mother, discovers that her workmates have opted for a significant pay bonus, in exchange for her dismissal. She has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.

This is an intense film. Cotillard is such a good actress you feel her stress!! The problem is the film goes no where. It seems to just lay there in its own anxiety. You see her coworkers during the two days and one night give Sandra reasons, and many very good reasons, on why they need to take the bonus. We also see some coworkers tell her, very kindly I feel, that they will vote to refuse the bonus so she can keep her job. Sadly even at the end of the film, the drama seems to just ....be.
3 stars out of 4 for the Oscar nominated performance by Cotillard. It is an interesting watch just because you are constantly asking yourself....would I give up my bonus???!!

CTIZENFOUR
Directed by Laura Poitras



A documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.

Citizenfour hits all the marks of a good documentary: it is topical, relevant, well organized and thought provoking. It is quietly dramatic and not overblown. In fact Snowden comes across as a quiet soul. Rightfully very nervous and rightfully he does not trust anyone. I will stay away from politics here and just say, I think the film does a very good job at laying everything out on the table, I also think, he is right, and also wrong. I think one of the problems right now in our country is that everything has to be right or wrong. Black or white. There cannot be a between. Well here he is right and wrong. I think Snowden made people realize that our info in the cloud is open for hackers to see. At the same time...here in America how far do you go to prove a point?! Does that mean giving out government classified info???!! At which point do you become a traitor by showing the world American secrets?!

Citizenfour is a well done Oscar winning documentary. 4 out of 5 stars.

From the shadows s always thanks for your time.