Let's take a look at the best new movies on DVD for November 2007.
November 6,2007
RatatouilleDVD
Written and directed by Brad Bird, this Pixar animated comedy is about a blue rat named Remy who aspires to become a chef. The film's title comes from the tasty Provençal dish made by slowly cooking vegetables, usually including tomatoes, onions, eggplant, zucchini and peppers. The movie takes place mostly in a beautiful Paris, where Remy manages to sneak inside a renowned restaurant. There he works out a deal with a garbage boy named Linguini, and they team up to prepare some culinary delights. Peter O'Toole voices an acerbic food critic called Anton Ego.
SickoDVD
Michael Moore created this thought-provoking, yet entertaining, op-ed piece about the American health care system. He shows examples where Americans don't get the medical treatment they need because they can't afford it, as well as instances where people have been forced into bankruptcy. According to him, the adoption of a profit-driven system in the U.S. has caused the problem. He then goes on to paint a rosy picture of the nationalized health care systems in Canada, France and Britain. In one sequence, Moore takes some 9/11 volunteers to Cuba for medical treatment.
November 13, 2007
Amazing GraceDVD
This British biopic is about William Wilberforce (1759-1833), a historical figure who deserves to be more widely known. Michael Apted directed the film, and Ioan Gruffudd plays Wilberforce. The movie opens in 1797 when Wilberforce, a member of Parliament, is ill and in despair over his inability to get slavery abolished in the British Empire. The film then follows him as he recovers and overcomes obstacles to get laws passed that don't end slavery, but do outlaw slave trading. Albert Finney plays John Newton, the former slave ship master who wrote the title song.
La Vie en RoseDVD
Édith Piaf (1915-1963), the iconic singer who for many epitomized the French chanteuse, is the subject of this French-language biopic. Called La Môme (The Kid) in France, its title in other markets is taken from Piaf's most internationally famous number. Additional well-known songs by her include "Non, je ne regrette rien," "Milord" and "Hymne à l'amour." The film moves back and forth in time as it covers Piaf's career, as well as her traumatic childhood, troubled love life and untimely death at age 47. Marion Cotillard gives a brilliant performance as Piaf in the movie.
Ocean's ThirteenDVD
This glossy caper film is the follow-up to Ocean's Eleven (2001) and Ocean's Twelve (2004), and except for Julia Roberts, all the major cast members are back, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Returning as director is Steven Soderbergh. As was Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Thirteen is set in Las Vegas, where we again follow Danny Ocean (Clooney) and the gang as they carry out an elaborate scheme. This time around, the ruthless Willy Bank (Al Pacino) has done something bad to one of Danny's guys, and they go to great lengths to get revenge.
November 20, 2007
HairsprayDVD
This musical comedy was based on the long-running Broadway show that opened in 2002, which was in turn adapted from John Waters's 1988 movie. The 2007 film preserves the early 1960s Baltimore setting and much of the retro feel of the earlier versions. John Travolta, wearing a fat suit and dressed in drag, takes the role played by Divine and Harvey Fierstein. Newcomer Nikki Blonsky plays Tracy Turnblad, the overweight teenager who yearns to dance on The Corny Collins Show. But Tracy becomes a key figure in a campaign to end racial segregation on the TV program.
Live Free or Die HardDVD
Bruce Willis again stars as New York City police detective John McClane in this actioner, the fourth film in the series that includes Die Hard (1988), Die Hard 2 (1990) and Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995). This time around McClane must team up with a computer hacker played by Justin Long, who appeared in Apple TV commercials. Together they battle cyberterrorists led by Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) and Mai Lihn (Maggie Q). The terrorists capture McClane's estranged daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and there are chases, shootouts and massive explosions.
November 27, 2007
The NamesakeDVD
Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, this drama directed by Mira Nair takes a discerning look at the ups and downs of two generations of a Bengali family that immigrates to the U.S. In the 1970s, Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) enter into an arranged marriage in Calcutta and relocate to New York. They have a son Gogol (Kal Penn), who grows up Americanized and has a serious romance with a privileged WASP (Jacinda Barrett). Later he gets a Bengali girlfriend (Zuleikha Robinson), but that relationship turns out to face a different set of problems.
WaitressDVD
Keri Russell gives a winning performance in this dramedy. Jenna (Russell), a waitress in a small town diner, bakes delicious pies. But she is trapped in an unhappy marriage to a controlling, unlikable husband. She is trying to come up with a workable escape plan when she discovers she is carrying her husband's baby. Then things get even more complicated for her when she begins a torrid affair with her married obstetrician. (Note: Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed and plays a supporting role in this film, was murdered shortly after its completion.)
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