While the DVD Afternoon is on hiatus, I'm going to attempt to keep the blog going with weekly New Release picks. This week our pick comes from a guest reviewer, Videodrome customer Mike Hebert, who takes an in depth look at the film THE LAST STATION.

For film fans tired of Hollywood’s standard sequel and remake fare, a true original arrives on DVD with The Last Station. If one were to reduce writer-director Michael Hoffman’s wonderfully moving film to its most basic plot elements, then it could be said that it covers the final turbulent year in the life of War and Peace author – make that literary giant – Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer).

But to do so would be a great disservice, for Station is no ordinary biopic. Instead, it reaches for and achieves its greatness as a poetic meditation on love, at first appearing to be about Tolstoy’s 48-year marriage to wife Sofya (Helen Mirren). She’s been patient and loyal in the past (what else can you say about a woman who hand-copied her husband’s seminal work six times, after all?) But she’s become increasingly frustrated, for in his dotage Tolstoy has all but abandoned novel writing to concentrate on matters of a spiritual nature, namely a religion co-created with his good friend and legacy keeper Chertov (Paul Giamatti). To be a good Tolstoyan welcome in his very own commune, one must practice celibacy, as the physical body is unimportant and only an illusion. One must also practice passive resistance (Tolstoy did in fact inspire a young Mahatma Gandhi to name his second Indian ashram after him). And most importantly, personal property is also not that important. Tolstoy is ashamed of the success and personal property he has amassed, and wants to give back to society by writing about governmental and societal ills and distributing it to the people gratis.

Problem is, Sofya really likes her personal property, dammit! So much so that she considers the people that follow her husband with a Christlike passion complete morons. What’s this nonsense about sharing the Tolstoy land holdings with lowly peasants? Why, they’ll only drink and whore it away! And when it comes to signing away great literary works like War and Peace and Anna Karenina into the public domain, thereby putting the family fortune at risk, that she will not abide. She is willing to scream, shout, love, cajole, and fake-illness her way through anything with her husband to protect it. She is also sure that Chertov has helped hatch the plan, as well as a rumoured new will, and spends almost as much time screaming at, shouting at and cajoling him. Into this rising maelstrom arrives Valentin (James McAvoy), a young Tolstoyan hired by Chertov to help the great man finish his manifesto, but also doing double duty keeping Chertov apprised on what’s going on in the house between man and wife. The poor sucker also finds himself increasingly used by Sofya in her plots against Chertov. No wonder he succumbs to the charms of lovely young fellow Tolstoyan, Masha (Kerry Condon).

Director Hoffman, who has such diverse films as Soapdish, the 1999 Midsummer Night’s Dream and the George Clooney mortgage payment One Fine Day to his credit, is described in Station’s production notes as the most European American director working today, and I heartily agree. Not one of the film’s 112 minutes feels rushed, and the Russian countryside (shot in Germany by Sebastian Edscmid) is absolutely breathtaking. But Hoffman also knows that he’s not making a Merchant Ivory film. After seeing a tabloid report that she and her husband are no longer speaking, a disgusted Sofya shouts, “It’s none of the world’s damn business!”. You can almost see a certain Lindsey raise her water glass in solidarity. And when Masha introduces Valentin to the wide world of anti-cellibacy, more than the room gets the view, you know what I’m sayin’?

Of course, the script (adapted by Hoffman from Jay Parini’s novel) and all the subtext in the world is no good unless experienced actors bring it to life, and Oscar nominees Plummer and Mirren are two of the best. In a more traditional biopic, Tolstoy would likely dominate, but since The Last Station is definitely a double act, Plummer is content to offer sterling support to top-billed Mirren by showing both his avuncular room-filling presence and deeply conflicted nature (then as now, celibacy is easy to espouse, but damn hard to practice). And the Leo-Sofya relationship they play is sublime. Although their one big romantic scene has clucking-and-cooing On Golden Pond overtones, after 48 years it has evolved into a wary dance, staying out of each other’s way while knowing that their contrasting worldviews doom them to collide. It’s all the more poignant when viewed through the eyes of McAvoy’s Valentin, who is just beginning life’s and love’s journey. Add in Giamatti’s less-than-saintly keeper of Tolstoy’s legacy, and the power of the latter’s last stand, and The Last Station is a truly unforgettable experience.

That's right, Folks! It's May Long Weekend, It's raining, and we're having a sale!

From Friday-Monday, you can buy 10 Movie Vouchers for just $39.99+GST. That saves you over a dollar on every New Release rental.

We've also got tons of DVDs for sale. Titles available for just $6.00+GST include: UP IN THE AIR, PRECIOUS, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX, ZOMBIELAND, THE BLIND SIDE, and INGLOURIOUS BASTARDS. Or you can pick up any 5 for just $25.00+GST

But that's not all!
DVDS in the clearance bin are just $2.00+GST each, and never-before-viewed movies for sale are $8.00+GST

And finally, we're clearing out loads of VHS for just a buck a piece! Why buy VHS? Because they're cheaper then renting, you get to keep them forever and they make good book ends!

you could own these for just 2 dollars!

Everyday I am asked to be a critic. "What's new and good?" customers call out as they swing open the door and beeline to the New Release section. "Seen any good horror movies lately?", and "My girlfriend asked me to pick up a chick flick" are other popular pleas for guidance. It's understandable. We've all taken a chance on a random video only to find it's virtually unwatchable. Even your favorite actors and directors can occasionally lead you unsuspectingly into a tremendous dud. There's just a lot of movies out there, and you need help! I get that. I never intended to be a critic, but it's part of the job. And on some level I think people trust me, because hey, I'm just a regular person. Not some real critic. That sort can't be trusted, as anyone who's seen LADY IN THE WATER can tell you. Real critics are unattractive, pompous, humorless intellectuals who develop misguided theories and miss the magic.

In all seriousness, critics get a bum rap. So it is with slight trepidation that I take my critiquing to the next level. I have joined former See Magazine writer and film critic for CBC radio Paul Matwychuk on the podcast DVD Afternoon. Every week we discuss a few of the movies being released on DVD. To be honest, I'm probably in a little over my head. I might be loud and opinionated, but I have yet to master the art of a clearly constructed and articulated film analysis. It's the movies you love and despise that are easy to review, the in-the-middle is the tricky part. So you can look forward to an onslaught of cliches, mixed metaphors and half baked conclusions from me (alongside the experienced and insightful Paul) until I start to get my bearings. In the meantime, we might discover a few gems together.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

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NEW: $2.00 RENTALS!!!!

Our kids cartoons have always been a bargain, at just $2.00, but now there are more movies you can get for a toonie.
Our selection is so massive (and always growing) that it's easy for some titles to get overlooked. Periodically, we select 30 of these films that haven't rented in some time and make them just $2.00 to get your attention. You can find them throughout the catalogue with big yellow "2 dollar rental" circles on them. By renting them, not only do you save money, but you save these films from the dark recesses of our back room, no longer to be browsed, only to be seen when requested by a customer. 

Here are some other ways to save money in these hard times:

SPECIAL DAYS:
On MONDAYS, all rentals are $2.50 for seniors (65+), students (anyone with a valid student i.d.), and card carrying FAVA members too! 

On THURSDAYS, all customers are created equal and get 2 for 1 on every movie in the store! This deal can be applied to a maximum of 8 movies. You can mix and match any categories, you just pay for the more expensive half of your selection!

EVERYDAY SPECIALS:
When the deals above don't apply you can still rent any 4 movies in the store for only $12 (+GST). That's a movie for free, and then some!

Or, If 4 movies is too much for you, you can take 2 movies, a large bag of chips or popcorn, and a 2 litre bottle of pop just 11.99+GST. That means you get one movie for around 60 cents.

And for real flexibility you can buy movie vouchers and save. 10 movie vouchers are 44.99+GST and you'll save almost a dollar on every New Release/Best Renter title.