Beautifully capturing the intensity and recklessness of young love, Like Crazy features two devastatingly real performances by Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin. Directed by Drake Doremus, the story follows two lovers forced into a long distance relationship after a rash decision gets her barred from the country.
This may come as blasphemy to some who adore the Kevin Bacon original, but Craig Brewer's remake is fresher, hipper, and just plain better. Taking a seemingly dated premise like a town that bans the use of rock music and public dancing, Brewer makes it believable in a modern context, bringing some of the 80s tunes along with him. Kenny Wormald(who!!?) is a rebellious newcomer to a stuck up conservative town, who kicks up a stir by refusing to abide by their stifling laws.
Always a maestro at navigating strange relationship waters in a number of brilliant Spanish language comedies, Pedro Almodovar goes to some equally twisted places in The Skin I Live in. Pairing up for the first time in a decade with Antonio Banderas, the film revolves around a morally confused plastic surgeon who goes to extraordinary lengths to perfect a new synthetic skin he's developing. His obsession leads him to keep a beautiful lab subject hostage in his secluded home, their crazy psycho-sexual love/hate relationship veering into some seriously uncomfortable territory. Unlike any film I saw last year, and a must own.
Other Notable Releases
Immortals, starring Henry Cavill and Mickey Rourke
Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season, starring Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Blu-Ray)
To Catch a Thief (Blu-Ray), starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly
The Deer Hunter (Blu-Ray + DVD), starring Robert De Niro and John Savage
Senna, starring Ayrton Senna
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Special Edition (Blu-Ray)
Jack and Jill, starring Adam Sandler
Tooth Fairy 2, starring Larry the Cable Guy
54 (Blu-Ray), starring Mike Myers and Ryan Phillippe
Grave of the Fireflies
Recoil, starring Stone Cold Steve Austin and Danny Trejo
