COUCH THEATER — DVD PREVIEWS
By DNA Smith
PICKS OF THE WEEK
“The Reader” — Man, Kate Winslet gets naked A LOT in this movie. She’s naked so much, she should have won TWO Golden Globes (if you know what I mean, and I think you do).
The film opens in the 1950s. Winslet plays Hanna, a 30-something tram employee. One day she crosses paths with Michael (David Kross), a 15-year-old boy. They strike up a torrid love affair over the summer, but come autumn, Hanna mysteriously disappears.
Flash forward. Michael is in college, reading law, and is attending a trial for one of his classes. To his shock, one of the defendants is Hanna, who is on trial for being a Nazi guard in a concentration camp.
The conflict of emotions that well up inside Michael affect him and his relationship with women for the rest of his life — even his relationship with his daughter.
“The Reader” is a great film, and I’m not just saying that because of all the hot Nazi sex. The performances are stellar, and the script and cinematography are amazing. Definitely worth a look.
“Lost in Austen” — This British four-part series recently aired on the Ovation Channel, and it is a charming and delightful and funny and heartwarming adventure that even I — a GUY — enjoyed.
The story is about a young, modern-day woman named Amanda (Jemima Rooper), a rabid Jane Austen fan who absolutely adores “Pride and Prejudice.” One day, Amanda discovers Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton), the character from “Pride and Prejudice,” in her bathroom. Apparently there is some kind of vortex in Amanda’s loo that connects the real world with the universe of the novel.
So, Amanda leaps into the Regency Period to live out her Austen fantasy while leaving poor Lizzy behind. Amanda tries to faithfully keep the novel on track, but things don’t go as planned, and Austen’s novel begins to take a turn for the weird.
TV SERIES
“Skins” Vol. 2
“Knots Landing” The Complete Second Season
“Wings” Final Season
“Exosquad” Season One
“Malcolm and Eddie” Season One
“The Ruth Rendell Mysteries” Set 4
© 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.