Oof, not a great retail week here in the States. Only a few titles in below’s batch rise to the top: one is an Australian crime thriller and the other is a movie where you watch Ryan Reynold’s final moments. Can’t go wrong either way, really.
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Top Shelf
The Movie: Buried is a movie I wish I had appreciated more when it hit theaters last September. I liked it well enough at the time, but over the past few months I’ve thought of it more and more. Had I the foresight at the time to realize that Lionsgate wasn’t going to expand (or even market) its release or that 127 Hours would be the single-guy-trapped-in-an-extreme-situation movie that everyone would be talking about, I would have championed the film a hell of a lot harder.
Of course getting a raw deal at the box office or being overshadowed by an inferior film don’t actually make Buried a better film in any way, but had I known how few people would find the film back then, I’d have really pushed everyone I know to see it in a theater. Not only is it a phenomenal technical accomplishment (unlike Danny Boyle, Rodrigo Cortes never leaves the confines of the coffin, be it in flashback or dream) and a helluva a vehicle for Ryan Reynolds, but it’s just a damned effective movie and was one of the most uncomfortable movie-watching experiences I had in 2010 — and that includes seeing A Serbian Film.
I just hope the same can be said when watching Buried at home for the first time. I fear it’ll just seem like such a smaller, more insignificant experience from the comfort of a couch instead of within a darkened room with nothing to do but stare at Ryan Reynolds trapped in a coffin for an hour and a half.
The Features: There’s not much here, unfortunately, just some trailers and an “Unearthing Buried” featurette.
Who Should Buy It: Fans of a good thriller who have an excellent sound system. Not only was Buried overlooked for its acting or camera work, but the sound design is suffocating in the best possible way.
