2018 School Spending Survey Report
Top Film Picks on DVD/Blu-Ray: Toni Collette as a Welsh Barmaid and Racehorse Owner; A Restoration of 1969 Thriller ‘La Piscine’
LJ’s film columnist picks the month’s top indie, foreign, and classic films, now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Dream Horse. 113 min. Universal. 2020. DVD UPC 191329127261. $22.99. Rated: PG.A Welsh barmaid (Toni Collette) in a small village convinces a group of regular patrons to jointly finance the breeding of a racehorse. With the assistance of a veteran syndicate racer (Damian Lewis), the horse “Dream Alliance,” named for the underwriting partnership, goes on, after a shaky get-go, to win progressively more prestigious races over well-heeled Thoroughbreds. Euros Lyn (The Library Suicides) faithfully dramatizes the true story previously covered in the 2015 documentary Dark Horse. VERDICT Lovers of feel-good flicks will embrace this sentimental film.
La Piscine (“The Swimming Pool”). 123+ min. In French w/English subtitles. Criterion. 1969. DVD UPC 715515262118. $29.95; Blu-ray UPC 715515262019. $39.95.Jean-Paul (Alain Delon) is enjoying his summer holiday with girlfriend Marianne (Romy Schneider) at a St. Tropez villa until a visit by an old pal (Maurice Ronet)—Marianne’s previous lover—and his nubile teenage daughter (Jane Birkin) spark jealousy leading to murder in the property’s centerpiece swimming pool. Exuding sensual desire, Jacques Deray’s thrilling drama probes the tragic consequences of beautiful people who eschew bourgeois possessiveness but fall prey to its undertow. VERDICT This restored art-house hit belongs in foreign film collections.
Rose Plays Julie. 100+ min. Film Movement. 2019. DVD UPC 850021115227. $24.99.Dublin University veterinary student Rose (Ann Skelly) travels to London to locate her birth mother (Orla Brady), who reluctantly reveals that Rose is the result of rape. After finding her archaeologist father (Aidan Gillen), Rose pretends to be “Julie,” an actress researching a dig site for a role, to learn her father’s true nature. Filmmakers Joe Lawlor and Christine Malloy explore a young woman’s search for identity. VERDICT Viewers can expect a moody, discomfiting psychological drama.
Shiva Baby. 77 min. Utopia. 2020. Blu-ray UPC 814456023656. $34.98.At a wake for a Jewish relative she barely knows, college senior Danielle (Rachel Sennott) runs into her law school–bound ex-girlfriend; her “sugar daddy” boyfriend with his wife and baby; her fussily neurotic parents; and gossipy relatives who ask about her postgraduate plans, her dating life, and other personal issues she is loath to discuss. Expanding her previous short film to feature-length, writer-director Emma Seligman covers a tensely funny day from hell. VERDICT This humorous film belongs in public library collections.
Slalom. 92 min. In French w/English subtitles. Kino Lorber. 2020. DVD UPC 738329254674. $19.99.A promising but inexperienced 15-year-old skier, Lyz (Noée Abita), gets more than her share of attention from her coach (Jérémie Renier), who puts his impressionable pupil through grueling paces for competition. Director-cowriter Charlène Favier’s feature film debut deals head-on with the subject of an exploitative but successful trainer. VERDICT Robert Redford’s Downhill Racer (1969) finally gets serious competition for best skiing flick in this Me Too–era drama.
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