Evan Rachel Wood in "Across the Universe"
courtesy of Sony Home Entertainment
"Yesterday"

If you are in a nostalgic mood, longing for the sixties and Beatles tunes, you might want to check out the DVD of "Across the Universe." Just as the hit Broadway musical "Mama Mia" took the songs of Abba and wound them around a storyline, the new film "Across the Universe" takes songs of the Beatles and incorporates them into a tale about life in the turbulent 60's. There are elements of the play "Hair" in this movie as it looks at a love story involving a young couple against the backdrop of such events as the Vietnam War and the psychedelic revolution. 

Jude (Jim Sturgess) is a young man from Liverpool, England who ends up in the States looking for the father he has never known. He finds him at Princeton University where he is a maintenance worker. Jude also meets Max (Joe Anderson), a perennial student who likes to get high with his friends and not do much studying.

Max decides to go home for Thanksgiving and takes Jude along. That is where Jude meets Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max's younger sister. When Max and Jude move to New York City, Lucy comes up to visit them for the summer. She and Jude fall in love and begin to experience life. They explore a variety of scenes including dropping acid and working against the Vietnam War.

All along the way there are the songs of the Beatles and the characters who live therein. In addition to such Beatles' favored names as Lucy and Jude, there are also characters named Sadie and Prudence. Sadie (Dana Fuchs) is a rock star in the Janis Joplin mode and she has a guitarist (Martin Luther McCoy) in her band who embodies Jimi Hendrix. Prudence (T V Carpio) is a hanger on of sorts who has a crush on Sadie.

The movie starts out strong with Sturgess' voice wrapping itself perfectly around a variety of Beatles' tunes. Wood also has an amazingly clear voice and her vocals are just as professional as those of any other singer in the film. The scenes showing the start of Jude and Lucy's relationship are simple and pure and totally enjoyable.

It is in the middle part of the film that it gets bogged down. This is when the heady acid trips come into play and the psychedelic hallucinatory world is shown. Bono appears as a musician in this part of the story and he is interesting to watch even if this whole segment is not. In the final third the movie regains the audience's interest and builds up to a grand finale.

The Beatles songbook chosen for the film is not always the one containing the most familiar numbers but they all are appealing to the ear and in most cases they advance the plot. The actors are all versatile enough to support the drama of the story and also enhance the musical numbers.

"Across the Universe" is a musical love story that works on many levels. Its close similarity to the plot of "Hair" is a strike against its uniqueness, but its fantastic staging thanks to director Julie Taymor makes it a film that should be seen. Everybody loves the music of the Beatles and that in and of itself should make everyone like "Across the Universe."

So for a trip down memory lane, get the DVD of "Across the Universe." Oh and peace, man.

A film that takes you out of the past and into the present is "Right At Your Door." This very contemporary movie played on a limited number of screens when it was released. Now that it is available on DVD it should reach a wider audience - depending on how scared you want to get with the possibilities of what could happen to us all.

In the film there have been a series of "dirty bombs" detonated in Los Angeles. Brad (Rory Cochrane) is safe at home but his wife Lexi (Mary McCormack) is not. When she shows up and asks for entry Brad is afraid to let her in for fear she has been contaminated. This paranoia and other disturbing circumstances make up the heart of the film.

Cochrane and McCormack are both good in their roles and the script is intense from beginning to end. This is a movie that will hold your interest AND it will scare you to death.

Another intense but excellently made movie coming to you on DVD is "Trade." This film is a study of the crime of human trafficking for sexual purposes. This is a crime that grows larger and larger with each day that passes and the victims can come from any country or any ethnic group.

In "Trade" a young girl is kidnapped from Mexico City by sex traffikers. Her older brother goes on a desperate quest to find her. Luckily he meets up with a police officer (Kevin Kline) who is investigating this crime. They join forces.

This is a movie but the facts of the film could be based on truth. This possibility gives the film its intensity. It also helps to have Kline doing another good job in his role as the cop. He and the entire cast give authenticity to the story.

One of the best television series of last year was "Damages". This F/X series starred Glen Close as a ruthless attorney and Ted Danson as her nemeses. It was a show that alternated between the past, present and future and everything about the way it was done was fascinating.

Now this first year of "Damages" is out on DVD and it is a great way to see the show for the first time or to watch the whole thing again. Since the series has been renewed for two more years it is best to join in on the ground floor. So rush out and get "Damages: The Complete First Season."

While you are rushing, pick up "Hannah Montana: One In A Million" for your kids. This character created by Miley Cyrus is the biggest phenomenon in the country today. On this DVD you get four episodes that are laugh out loud funny. Plus you get extras such as two music videos AND an episode of "That's So Raven."

So what are you waiting for? Get "Hannah Montana: One In A Million" and watch your kids eyes light up. It is a fun packed way to entertain them - at home!

"Ladron Que Roba A Ladron" (To rob a thief) lives up to its title. It is a Spanish film, starring telenova favorites, about two men who decide to rob one of the biggest thieves around. They are going to get a gang and impersonate day laborers, but everyone they contact is afraid to take on the job. What are they to do? Well they hire real day laborers. And then the fun ensues.

The film is subtitled so that may cut down on the audience, but for those who persist it is a fun and exciting film to see.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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