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Moving film tells story of former Clevelander; some scenes shot there
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Sunday, Aug 02, 2009
When I saw The Soloist this spring, the movie brought tears to my eyes more than once. While it is not a perfect movie, it has enough virtues — and two very strong central performances — to justify your checking it out on Tuesday.
The film (Paramount, $19.99 DVD, $29.99 Blu-ray) stars Robert Downey Jr. as Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who sees a column in homeless musician (and former Clevelander) Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Jamie Foxx) but soon finds much more.
Foxx is compelling, and Downey is more than his match, especially when it comes to playing the reportorial detachment that Lopez tries to maintain, even as Ayers' plight becomes more and more emotionally demanding. Written by Susannah Grant, the film is too tidy about some things — it gives the married Lopez a big-screen divorce to make him more of a lost soul redeemed through his dealings with Ayers. But it is still very effective.
The DVD adds a piece on the making of the film, a brief visit with the real Lopez and Ayers, a couple of segments on homelessness, commentary by director Joe Wright and deleted scenes.
While the movie included a couple of scenes shot in Cleveland, the deleted ones add more footage. Wright's commentary also notes his insistence on shooting part of the movie there as a counterpoint to the images of Los Angeles; the commentary in general includes intriguing remarks about the look and style of the film.
The Blu-ray adds a piece on Ayers at the Juilliard music school.
Project Runway begins its long-awaited sixth season on Lifetime on Aug. 20; the show has such an avid following that its jump from Bravo led to a prolonged legal battle.
You can get a taste of the show's appeal on Tuesday when Project Runway: The Complete Fifth Season (Genius, 14 episodes, four discs, $27.95) presents the last of the Bravo seasons. The season, which aired in 2008, included three Buckeyes among its competitors, notably Seven Hills native Suede, a graduate of Kent State University's School of Fashion Design.
The series has fashion designers competing for fabulous prizes (and getting a lot of exposure for their ideas and their own fashion sense), although it's as much about fussy fashion mentor Tim Gunn, who became a TV star thanks to the show.
There's drama from the beginning of the fifth season, which finds the designers trying to make outfits from products acquired in a grocery store. Product placement abounds. Stress is evident. If not always believable, it is still entertaining.
DVD extras include a follow-up with the season winner and extended versions of the episodes.
More fun on DVD comes courtesy of Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Second Season (HBO, 10 episodes, two discs, $29.98). The HBO series chronicles the life and songs of Flight of the Conchords, the New Zealand duo of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, as they try to succeed in the United States.
Besides 10 episodes of mishaps and music, the DVD includes ample extras, among them a 25-minute documentary about the duo, deleted scenes, outtakes and some hilarious commercials for the show's pawn shop.
Elsewhere on DVD on Tuesday: Race to Witch Mountain, the Disney pic starring Dwayne Johnson, a revisiting of the concept from Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain and Return From Witch Mountain. The newer film will be available as a single DVD ($35.99), a two-disc set with a digital copy ($44.99) and a three-disc combo ($51.99) including both a Blu-ray disc and standard DVD as well as a digital copy.
The two-disc DVD and Blu-ray versions include deleted scenes and bloopers; the Blu-ray adds a feature about Race's hidden references to the previous movies.
Down the DVD/Blu-ray road: CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season arrives Sept. 15. 17 Again, the Zac Efron feature, will be on DVD and Blu-ray on Aug. 11. The original movie version of M*A*S*H goes to Blu-ray on Sept. 1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, with Hugh Jackman, is on DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 15. Acclaimed music documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil arrives on DVD on Oct. 6, three days after it airs on VH1 and VH1 Classic.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com and on Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
When I saw The Soloist this spring, the movie brought tears to my eyes more than once. While it is not a perfect movie, it has enough virtues — and two very strong central performances — to justify your checking it out on Tuesday.
Get the full article here.
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